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Does Elton John have another superstar duet up his (sequined) sleeve?

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Elton John‘s collaboration with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” which combines four of his previous songs into one track, has become his biggest hit in years. Now, there’s a report that he’s working on a follow-up.

Showbiz411 reports that Elton is going to re-team with PNAU, the Australian trio who created “Cold Heart,” for another such mashup, and he’ll be joined by “a secret superstar” — likely “someone contemporary and young.”

The website reports that the song will arrive next month with an eye towards summer airplay. The report notes that this will not be a track from Elton’s star-studded duets album The Lockdown Sessions — it’ll be a completely new song.

The Lockdown Sessions featured Elton singing with everyone from Lil Nas X and Nicki Minaj to Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks.

Also next month, Elton’s latest theatrical work, The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical, premieres at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Elton wrote the music, and Shaina Taub wrote the lyrics for the show, which launches July 19 and is based on the hit movie of the same name. Showbiz411 notes that this marks the first time Elton has collaborated with a female songwriter.

New Gorillaz song “Cracker Island” dropping next week

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Gorillaz has announced a new song called “Cracker Island.”

The track will arrive next Wednesday, June 22 and is available to presave now.

“Cracker Island” will be the first single to follow Gorillaz’s 2021 EP Meanwhile. The most recent album from the Damon Albarn-led cartoon band is 2020’s Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, which featured collaborations from The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent and Elton John.

Last month, Gorillaz announced a North American tour, set to kick off in September. Along the way, the group will headline the 2022 Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival in Las Vegas.

Kix Brooks’ love of wine was a way to “act sophisticated” to impress girls in college

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kix Brooks‘ passion for wine started in an unlikely way — trying to impress girls.

The Brooks & Dunn member developed a love for wine while attending Louisiana Tech University as a way to impress the women he was courting. But the hobby soon developed into a true passion that led Kix to owning and operating his own vineyard in Tennessee.

“I’ve always liked wine. I was like every other Romeo in college, it seemed like a great way to act sophisticated when you had a date who seemed a little out of your league,” he told Wine Spectator. Though his initial knowledge on wine was limited, Kix said that it slowly grew over time to the point where he was paying close attention to the wine he was drinking.

“I didn’t really know much other than I liked it and that [wine brand] Mateus made a good candleholder. Before I knew it, I was really paying attention to taste and to labels and, of course, to price tags,” he said.

Kix is now the proud owner of Arrington Vineyards in Arrington, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. In 2004, the country legend purchased a cattle farm in the area and began converting it into a vineyard. It was opened to the public in 2007 and continues to host wine tastings, weddings, live music and more.

Luke Bryan adds six dates to Las Vegas residency

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Luke Bryan is extending his stay in Las Vegas.

The country superstar has added six new dates to his Vegas residency at the Resorts World Theatre and will close out the year with shows on November 30 and December 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10.

The “One Margarita” hitmaker will also spend part of his summer at Resorts World, with previously scheduled shows on June 15, 17, 18, 22, 24 and 25 as well as three shows in August and September before hitting the road on his annual Farm Tour.

Among the hits Luke has performed since launching the residency in February are “That’s My Kinda Night,” “Crash My Party” and “Country Girl (Shake it For Me).” His elaborate set features an innovative stage that moves to the beat of his songs and a catwalk suspended above the ceiling.

Tickets for the new shows go on sale to the public on June 20 at 1 p.m. ET.

Carrie Underwood and Luke’s fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry also have residencies at the resort.

Hugh Jackman thanks his ‘Music Man’ understudy after “frustratingly” testing positive for COVID again

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Better get the Purell for those 76 trombones as The Music Man on Broadway’s lead, Hugh Jackman, has had to bow out once again after a second bout of COVID.

A day after performing at the Tony Awards, Jackman told his fans he’s “frustratingly” tested positive for the virus for a second time, once again forcing him to lean on his understudy Max Clayton so that the “show can go on.”

“Max and I have been working together on this show for over two years,” Jackman told his Instagram followers, “…and I can tell you…He is absolutely extraordinary. So I’m just frustrated that I won’t get to see him and cheer him on.”

The Tony winner added, “But I’ll be cheering you on in my heart, Max, and to everyone, my whole cast of The Music Man, I hate not being there, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Jackman also noted that while Broadway continues to deal with COVID, it’s brought to light how valuable understudies like Clayton are. “I’ve said it before, and will say it a million times more,” Jackman wrote. ” … Maxi and all the standbys, swings and understudies around the world, you are the true heroes of theater. You give life to the saying ‘the show must go on.'”

On The Music Man‘s official Twitter page, it noted Jackman will miss performances starting Tuesday, June 14 and will return to the Winter Garden Theatre on Wednesday, June 22.

To the understudy, the message added, “Max, you better grab your Harold Hill suitcase and get on the next train to River City!”

In December of 2021, Jackman, and then subsequently his co-star Sutton Foster, missed performances because of the virus.

Seven-year-old boy, 9-year-old girl shot dead hours apart in Houston

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HOUSTON) — A 7-year-old boy was inside his home when authorities said he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Harris County, Texas, which encompasses the Houston area.

Around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, the unknown gunman drove in front of a trailer home and opened fire at it, Harris County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Brown said.

Paul Vasquez, who was inside the trailer, was shot in the chest, the sheriff’s office said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.

Paul’s mother and two brothers were home at the time but none of them were hurt, Brown said.

No motive is known and no suspects have been identified, authorities said.

The gunman’s car is believed to be a white or gray four-door sedan, authorities said.

Just 24 hours later, at about 10:45 p.m. Monday, a 9-year-old girl was shot and killed in an apartment only 15 miles away, according to Houston police.

The girl’s mom was shot in the upper body, police said. She is in stable condition and is expected to survive, police said.

This shooting was believed to be the result of family violence, police said.

The suspect is not in custody, police said.

These deadly shootings come one week after an 11-year-old girl was shot dead in a Detroit home by outside gunfire.

After the slaying of 7-year-old Paul Vasquez, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that he’s “outraged.”

“This is the daily toll of gun violence … Let’s not accept daily gun violence as our norm,” he tweeted. “We can and we must do more.”

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday called for a special state legislative session to address youth gun violence.

“Yes, we need more mental health resources … yes, we need to look at broader issues. But we cannot address gun violence and the gun violence epidemic without addressing the need for gun safety policies,” Hidalgo said at a news conference. “My hope is that as we do our work in Harris County we can work together as a state, we can work together as a nation, to finally tackle this.”

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis added, “We owe it to these kids to keep them safe from gun violence.”

BTS’ V to star in new TV show In ‘The Soop: Friendship Trip’

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

BTS‘ V is heading back to TV — to star in a spinoff of the popular South Korean reality series In The Soop. But, instead of starring alongside his famous bandmates, this series follows just him and four other celebrities.

NME reports that the four-part series, In The Soop: Friendship Trip, airs in July and sees V heading out on vacation with some of his best friends — actors Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik and Park Hyung-sik as well as rapper Peakboy. The group, which fans have dubbed the “Wooga Fam,” will embark on a four-day adventure.

In The Soop was created by BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment, which follows the septet on vacation when they need to take a break from their busy schedules. Season one aired in 2020 and saw the “Butter” singers hanging out in a remote forest, while the second season, which aired in 2021, took them to a villa in the mountains.

For those who are curious about the show’s name, “soop” is the Korean word for “forest.”

Andy Grammer admits he “broke down pretty hard” during the pandemic

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Andy Grammer is known for his positive outlook on life, but the “Honey, I’m Good” singer admits the pandemic deeply affected his mental health.

Speaking to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Andy explained how difficult it was for him to stay positive over the past few years. “I went down real hard and got into therapy, and that’s what brought me around,” he confessed. “I wasn’t super positive. I broke down pretty hard.”

Andy’s mental health has improved since and now he’s using that past experience to “inform some of my art” and better connect with fans. “I still come at it from a place where I think we’re here on Earth to grow,” he said of his songwriting process. “When terrible things happen, at the end of the day, no matter what, that’s a heavier weight in the gym that you’re supposed to lift. There’s always something that comes out of it.”

Speaking of how he creates his music, Andy says he starts with the lyrics first and builds his song around them. “When lyrics are the main focus, I think it should work on a guitar. When the melody and the lyrics are good enough, then I’m really open to a lot of different ways to present it,” he detailed. “Until the lyrics and the melody are good, I don’t care about anything else.”

Andy has been open that he doesn’t care about making the next radio hit because his main objective is to make people feel something through his music. He said that mentality developed when he was busking on the streets of Los Angeles, before he was discovered.

“It set the bar at the very beginning of my career really high. I bring that level of intensity into most things,” said Andy.

The Rolling Stones postpone a second show following Mick Jagger’s COVID-19 diagnosis

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Rolling Stones have now postponed a second show following frontman Mick Jagger‘s positive COVID-19 test.

After calling off their show in Amsterdam on Monday, the band has announced on their socials that this Friday’s show in Bern, Switzerland, is also postponed.

The statement adds, “The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry for tonight’s postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority.”

As of now, The Stones will perform at their next scheduled date in Milan, Italy, on June 21. Details on the rescheduling of the Friday show will be announced soon, the band says, and tickets that have already been purchased for the Bern concert will be honored for the new date.

So far, Jagger hasn’t made any public comment about this latest postponement, nor has guitarist Keith Richards. Both of them took to social media to comment on the Amsterdam postponement.

NBA Finals: Warriors take the lead in Game 5 over Celtics

June 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from another championship title after beating the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals Monday night.

The Warriors topped the Celtics 104-94 in San Francisco to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Both teams will now head to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday. Tip off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

Should the Warriors win, it will mark the team’s seventh championship title and its first since 2018.

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