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Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” sets new ‘Billboard’ record in return to Alternative Airplay chart

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill” is running up yet another chart.

The English artist’s 1985 song, which has seen a resurgence over the past few weeks thanks to a placement in the newly-premiered fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, is now ascending Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart, debuting on the tally at #26.

“Running Up That Hill” now gives Bush her first entry on the Alternative Airplay chart in 28 years, having last appeared on the ranking in 1994 with the song “Rubberband Girl.”

That gap — which spans almost the entirety of the chart’s 34-year history — now sets the record for the longest wait between Alternative Airplay appearances. That easily clears the previous high-water mark set by Blondie‘s Debbie Harry, whose last two logs on Alternative Airplay — the solo song “Kiss It Better” in 1990 and a feature on the Just Loud track “Soul Train” in 2018 — came nearly 19 years apart.

Bush’s accomplishment is even more impressive if you don’t count appearances by featured artists. The previous record for longest gap between Alternative Airplay entries for a lead artist belonged to Chris Cornell, who, as a solo act, took 16 years between charting in 1999 with “Can’t Change Me” and returning in 2015 with “Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart.”

Meanwhile, “Running Up That Hill” hit the top five on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 this week, a first for any Kate Bush song. The often press-shy singer has issued several public statements commenting on the song’s newfound popularity, most recently sharing that she’s “never experienced anything quite like this before.”

Netflix teases ‘Blonde’, starring Ana De Armas as Marilyn Monroe

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ana De Armas is stunning as Marilyn Monroe, in the new teaser to Netflix’s biopic Blonde.

The actress is shown being every bit the iconic bombshell on camera — but a wreck behind the scenes.

De Armas is shown reimagining Monroe’s legendary Gentlemen Prefer Blondes “staircase scene,” and amid a haunting rendition of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” is shown in tears backstage.

“Don’t abandon me,” she pleads.

However, a moment later, she composes herself and turns on a pixel-perfect imitation of Monroe’s movie star smile and trademark giggle.

Netflix teases the film, based on the 2000 bestseller of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, “boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons…From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”

The film, which earned a rare NC-17 rating from the streamer, also stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Emmy winner Julianne Nicholson and Bobby Cannavale.

Blonde debuts globally on Netflix September 23.

Jennifer Hudson’s talk show debuting September 12

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Newly-minted EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson will be “lighting up daytime” starting September 12.

J Hud’s new eponymous chat show will launch in 95% of American TV markets and will be executive produced by Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show vets Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Corey Palent.

Warner Bros. Unscripted Television and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution revealed a smiling promotional pic of the star against a sequined backdrop with the words “Lighting Up Daytime!” above her.

The show will air on Fox TV stations and other station groups nationwide.

American Idol veteran Hudson official rose to the rare EGOT rank — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winner — last Sunday, when the hit Broadway show she co-produced, A Strange Loop, snagged a Best Musical trophy.

“Crocodile tears” – Juror in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial speaks out

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A juror in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial said in an interview that aired Thursday on Good Morning America that when the actress cried during her testimony, the jury saw only “crocodile tears.”

“It didn’t come across as believable,” he said. “It seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions. She would answer one question and she would be crying and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. It didn’t seem natural.”

Depp, he said, “just seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions.”

The juror, one of seven during the six-week trial, spoke exclusively to GMA and is the only juror on record to speak publicly about the case. He asked to have his name not used for this report.

In early June, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia awarded Depp more than $10 million in damages; Heard received $2 million in her countersuit.

The catalyst for defamation countersuits was a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote in The Washington Post in which she said she “became a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp argued that the article suggested she was victimized by him, although she never identified him by name.

Besides how she acted on the stand, several other factors led the jury to believe Heard was not credible, the juror said.

The jury concluded the stars, “were both abusive to each other,” but Heard’s team failed to prove Depp’s abuse was physical.

“They had their husband-wife arguments…But to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn’t enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying,” he said.

The juror also denied the jury was swayed by outside forces, as Heard subsequently alleged.

He and “at least” three others did not have Twitter accounts. The juror also said that no one on the jury was starstruck, and their individual celebrity never played a factor in their decision. “None of us were really fans of either one of them,” he said.

Check out the full interview on Good Morning America‘s website.

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale speaks on being “unapologetically bisexual” in post celebrating Pride Month

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale is speaking out on being “unapologetically bisexual” in an Instagram post celebrating Pride Month.

“I understood there was something different about me from an early age,” Hale writes. “Growing up in a semi Christian household, all of the things I was feeling were inherently wrong. So I hid my bisexuality for a long time.”

She continues, “It was through being in a band, getting out of organized religion, finding my tribe and trudging through the dark murky waters of my life that I was then able to be truly comfortable owning all the things that make me…Me.”

Hale says that she’s now “Navigating within my own spectrum of this tremendous rainbow that we are all a part of.”

“What I hope to pass onto you, whether you are in a state of pride or still riding the high seas…is that by being your true self, embracing what makes you stand out to others, and owning your weird…these things ultimately become your superpowers,” Hale writes. “Your true self is precious, no one can take it from you unless you let them. Wield it like a secret weapon.”

“As far as I know…we only get one time around this ride,” she concludes. “So live and breathe every single part of you. The good, the bad, the colorful and the queer. Rock on motherf***ers! I celebrate you!”

Forever hold your earpiece: Taika Waititi shuts down interview after question about marrying Rita Ora

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Taika Waititi‘s patience didn’t go to infinity and beyond during a recent chat with a UK morning show promoting the Disney/Pixar film Lightyear.

The filmmaker, who voices a main part in the movie, was seated next to lead Chris Evans when This Morning‘s co-host Phillip Schofield tried slipping in a final question about Taika’s rumored engagement to “Finish Line” singer and The Voice judge, Rita Ora.

“Well, we’ve congratulated Chris on his birthday,” Schofield began, though the filmmaker was already ready for the nervously-asked follow-up: “… so Taika, are there wedding bells?”

In response, a smiling Taika said, “Oh, you’re breaking up!” and tossed away his earpiece, miming the remaining moments of the interview, as Evans laughed hysterically.

Schofield offered — though Taika couldn’t hear him — “Regardless, she’s gorgeous, we love her here, she’s always a great guest and congratulations!”

The pair have been romantically linked since 2021.

Lightyear hits theaters Friday. Taika’s next Marvel Studios film, Thor: Love and Thunder, opens July 8.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Jan. 6 committee wants to hear from Ginni Thomas after email revelations

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Chairman Bennie Thompson told reporters Thursday that the Jan. 6 committee will “soon” invite Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and an avid Trump supporter, to speak with the panel.

“We think it’s time that we would, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,” Thompson said in the wake of revelations about emails that sources said she exchanged with right-wing lawyer John Eastman, a former clerk to Justice Thomas.

The committee has said Eastman was the mastermind behind the legal scheme to fraudulently overturn the election, in part by pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject some states’ legitimate electoral votes on Jan. 6 when Congress met to certify the election results.

Thompson didn’t give any details about public or private testimony and when the committee would make a formal invitation.

An aide to Jan. 6 committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said she agrees it is time to formally ask Ginni Thomas to speak with the committee.

It is still unclear when the committee would ask Thomas to come and in what form they would request to speak with her.

ABC News has reached out to her lawyer for comment.

Sources confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that the committee has come into possession of emails between Eastman and Ginni Thomas.

The existence of the emails was first reported by the Washington Post.

It’s unclear what the communications between Eastman and Ginni Thomas say, but Eastman has fought the committee’s document requests in court.

A federal judge has ruled twice that he must turn some of these documents over and the committee has just recently begun receiving the second tranche of them.

Investigators are discussing next steps and deciding how much of a focus they should put on Thomas and her communications with people like Eastman and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows during its public hearings.

Mickey Guyton says doing CMT ‘Crossroads’ with Black Pumas brought out the “soul” in her music

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Mickey Guyton shared the stage with Black Pumas for an episode of CMT Crossroads last night, with the two acts teaming up for renditions of Mickey’s “Lay It On Me” and “Black Like Me,” plus duet versions of songs off the Pumas’ 2019 debut album.

The country star tells People that the performance revealed a different side to her songs, especially when lead vocalist Eric Burton lent his voice to the lyrics.

“They’re roots, blues and folk, and to hear him interpret it, you can hear the soul in the music,” Mickey explains. “I always knew I had soul, but to hear it come from somebody else, you can hear it in my music more, which is really cool.”

It wasn’t the first time Mickey and the Pumas had teamed up: They also performed together at this year’s CMT Music Awards. Mickey’s been a fan of the duo for a while now, and she says that it was her husband, Grant, who turned her on to their music.

“He was just listening to them all the time,” she recounts. “So we started listening to the whole catalog, and I just grew to love them, too.”

Another of the songs they performed together during the Crossroads episode was “Better Than You Left Me,” Mickey’s 2015 debut single.

Watch Seether’s video for “What Would You Do?” song

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Seether has premiered the video for the band’s song “What Would You Do?”

The eerie clip finds a group of people trying to escape from a mysterious creature, perhaps a metaphor for frontman Shaun Morgan‘s lyrics about addiction.

You can watch the “What Would You Do?” video streaming now on YouTube.

“What Would You Do?” first appeared on Seether’s 2021 EP Wasteland — The Purgatory, a companion to the band’s 2020 album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum. It’ll also be included on the upcoming deluxe version of Si Vis Pacem, due out July 1.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

15 years ago today, Sara Bareilles wrote us a “Love Song”…and launched her career

June 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Remember the Free iTunes Song of the Week? In the days before streaming, Apple would make one song a week available as a free download, and often, they became hits. Fifteen years ago today, the iTunes Free Song of the Week was a song that never hit number one but still ended up launching an award-winning career: “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles.

Ironically, Sara wrote the song after becoming frustrated with her record label, who kept on telling her they needed her to write a commercial hit. Speaking to Glamour, Sara said, “I felt invisible and unimportant and manipulated and all the things.”

“This song was my little stubborn ‘f**k you’…but [it] ended up opening all these doors for me,” she noted.

“Love Song” didn’t enter the Billboard Hot 100 until several months later, but after Sara and the song appeared in an ad for the music streaming service Rhapsody, it shot up the charts, eventually peaking at number four and spending 19 weeks in the top 10.

“Love Song” also earned Sara her first Grammy nominations, for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, on its way to selling four million copies.

While “Love Song” remains Sara’s biggest hit, it set her up for a career that’s taken some unexpected turns. In addition to being nominated for multiple Grammys — with one win — she’s also been nominated for Emmy awards for both acting and writing music for TV, not to mention multiple Tony Awards, including several for the Broadway musical she co-wrote and occasionally starred in: Waitress.

Today, Sara is starring in the second season of her Peacock comedy, Girls5Eva, for which she occasionally writes music, and is also appearing on Broadway in a revival of the musical Into the Woods.

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