Glass Animals finally topped the BillboardHot 100 for the first time. After spending nearly 60 weeks on the chart — 59 to be precise — “Heat Waves” is finally the number-one song, and now claims the title of having the longest climb to the top.
This shatters the previous record holder, Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which spent 35 weeks ascending to the top. “Heat Waves” is also just the 23rd song in all of Billboard history to spend 59 or more weeks on the chart, regardless of placement.
Glass Animals made all sorts of history with their latest achievement. “Heat Waves” is the first song written and produced by just the band to top the Hot 100 in over 35 years — the last being Boston‘s 1986 hit “Amanda.”
Not only that, “Heat Waves” is now the 11th song in Billboard history to go to number one after bowing at the bottom of the chart. The last single to debut at number 100 before going all the way to the top was Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth‘s 2015 collab “See You Again.”
“Heat Waves” is also the first song by a band to first rule the Alternative Airplay chart before taking over the Hot 100 since 2012 — the last being fun.‘s “We Are Young.” In addition, this marks the first time in nearly 50 years that a band with “Glass” in its name topped the Hot 100 — the last being when “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass hit number one in 1972.
This also marks the first time since 2007 that a song with “heat” or “hot” in the title went to number one — the last being Mims‘ “This Is Why I’m Hot.”
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(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Despite widespread support for pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations from the nation’s top health officials, Florida will become the first state in the country to advise against vaccinating healthy children for COVID-19, the state’s Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, announced on Monday.
“The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children,” Ladapo said at the end of a 90-minute roundtable discussion in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, aimed to close the curtain on the “COVID theater once and for all.”
Just prior to the announcement, Ladapo, alongside a group of physicians, made the case that the COVID-19 vaccines may not be necessary in children.
Ladapo pointed to a study released last week out of New York, suggesting that new data showed that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine protection waned relatively quickly in children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, as compared to older children.
“Already the rates were low. So, we’re kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence, the infinite potential of benefit,” Ladapo said Monday.
Although the study, which has not been peer-reviewed, suggested immunity waned faster in young children relative to older children, researchers said the vaccine still dramatically reduced the risk of hospitalization.
Scientists also said it might be important to study “alternative” vaccine dosing for young children to bolster efficacy.
Following the announcement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Florida’s decision was “absolutely not” a good policy.
“Let me just note that we know the science. We know the data and what works and what is the most, what the most effective steps are protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death,” Psaki said during a press briefing on Monday.
“It’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations, when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,” she added.
Many health experts across the country have also vehemently pushed back on claims that vaccines may not be necessary for children, urging the importance of vaccines for all eligible children to protect against severe illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have also been vocal in their support of pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations, stressing to parents that real-world data has demonstrated that vaccines are safe and effective at protecting children against severe disease, as well as against potential long-term consequences from the virus.
“Vaccines are safe and effective in protecting individuals and populations against infectious diseases,” physicians from the AAP wrote in a policy statement last month.
DeSantis also questioned whether children should be getting the shots, touting the state’s recent efforts to ban vaccine mandates in schools.
“We have this issue in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations with respect to children. And in Florida, we prohibited mandating COVID vaccines for children, so they can go to school and it’s a parent’s decision,” DeSantis said. “A lot of parents have come up to me, and they’re just like, ‘yeah, thanks for not mandating, we want to make the decision,’ but they have mixed feelings about whether they should do that even if it is their choice.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 12.6 million American children have tested positive for COVID-19, according to data collected by the AAP and Children’s Hospital Association. In addition, federal data shows that nationwide, more than 115,000 COVID-19 positive children have been admitted hospitals, while more than 1,500 children have lost their lives to the virus.
Alongside the Governor, Ladapo has been vocal about his stance to end COVID-19 mitigation measures in an effort to promote personal freedom.
Last month, the duo announced that the state would advise against the use of face coverings to protect against COVID-19.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman, Armando Garcia, and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.
Recently, we reported that both Kevin Hart and Chris Rock were launching respective stand-up tours, but now it’s been announced that the longtime friends are teaming up for a trek.
Live Nation reports that Hart and Rock will take the stage together in July with their joint Rock Hart: Only Headliners Allowed tour.
The exclusive arena run kicks off on July 21 at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island, New York, and also will stop at the Prudential Center and PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey and at New York City’s historic Madison Square Garden, before wrapping up at Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center on July 25.
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 11, at 10 a.m. ET at Ticketmaster.com.
In a statement, Hart said, “When Chris and I realized we were both going to be on tour this year we immediately knew we needed to do something special. We have been friends and mentors to each other for 20 years, but we have never shared a headlining stage together — until now!!!”
He added, “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the return of live comedy than to co-headline a show with my brother Chris Rock. This is a major moment in comedy and one for the history books.”
The Weeknd has a pretty big gig coming up…he’ll be appearing on The Simpsons! He confirmed his exciting new venture on Twitter, saying he is “proud of this one.”
The Weeknd shared a link to a story from his fans’ watchdog account, The Weeknd Access, which reports that he will “voice the character of ‘Orion Hughes’ in the new episode of ‘The Simpsons’ which will premiere this March 20th.” Not much else is known about his stint on the long-running animated sitcom.
The Grammy winner has dreamed of voicing a character on The Simpsons for years. He apparently spoke it into existence when talking to Variety in 2020. “An obvious bucket list would be to work on The Simpsons,” he said. “That would be a dream — and if they’re reading this, I actually have a pretty cool idea if they’re down.”
The Weeknd has previously crashed the animated universes of American Dad and Robot Chicken, where he either spoofed himself or created alternate versions of his musical personas. “I want to continue to create different Weeknds in alternate universes,” he also said in the same Variety interview.
Ghost will be celebrating the arrival of their new album with a “release ritual.”
The virtual event is set to stream live on YouTube this Thursday, March 10, at 2 p.m. ET, and will be followed by an “afterparty” exclusively for YouTube Premium subscribers.
As for what a “release ritual” actually entails, that’s not totally clear, but a trailer for the celebration promises that it’ll include Papa Emeritus IV, frontman Tobias Forge‘s persona for the Impera album cycle, and the Nameless Ghouls that make up the rest of Ghost.
Impera, the follow-up to 2018’s Prequelle, arrives this Friday, March 11. It includes the previously released songs “Hunter’s Moon,” “Call Me Little Sunshine” and “Twenties.”
Maren Morris‘ new single, “Circles Around This Town,” will get the Vegas treatment tonight when she performs its TV debut at the 2022 ACM Awards.
The show is taking place at Allegiant Stadium, a venue that, Maren says, was pretty dazzling even during rehearsals. “It’s beautiful, and the stage that we’re performing it on is so high up, it almost popped my ears,” Maren explains.
In fact, the stage is so massive that it was even a little daunting to a seasoned pro like Maren. “It’s kind of overwhelming how big it is in there,” she admits.
Still, once the crowd and her country-star peers assemble for the big night, Maren says it’s sure to be an unforgettable experience. “It’s very crazy, but so epic, and the whole window wall is behind us, so you just see the [Las Vegas] Strip,” she describes. “It’s gonna be beautiful.”
In addition to her performance, Maren is a nominee at tonight’s awards show. The event starts at 8 p.m. ET, and it’ll stream on Amazon Prime Video. Dolly Parton, Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett are co-hosting the show.
Chaka Khan is one of many female artists set to take part in a new festival that Mary J. Bligeis launching in partnership with Pepsi and Live Nation Urban this spring that celebrates women and their achievements.
The inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit will take place in Atlanta over Mother’s Day weekend, from May 6 to May 8. It will feature performances by Mary J. and Khan, as well as by Kiana Ledè, City Girls, Xscape, Queen Naija, Ella Mai and more.
“The idea for the festival came to us after early listening sessions of my latest album with my family and friends and women in the industry,” Blige explains in a statement. “Each time, the people in the room would share a story, oftentimes of heartbreak or pain, but they always ended with joy and love and how their girlfriends or mom or sister helped them find their voice and strength.”
Mary adds that after two years stuck inside because to the pandemic, she felt women “deserved” this kind of experience.
“I’m so grateful to all of the performers, vendors, and participants for committing themselves to our inaugural event and I am so excited to do this in a city that has been rocking with me since the very beginning of my career,” she says. “I am proud to create this with my sisters and I look forward to an undeniably beautiful and special experience.”
Presale tickets will be available starting Tuesday, March 8, at 10 a.m. ET, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Thursday, March 10, at 10 a.m. ET at SoaWFestival.com.
Deep Purple has canceled their upcoming concerts in Ukraine and Russia, which had been scheduled to take place on May 31 in Kyiv and June 4 in Moscow, respectively, in the wake of Russia’s military invasion of its neighboring country.
Coinciding with the cancellations, all five current members of Deep Purple have posted messages on the band’s official website and social media pages regarding the harrowing situation, prefaced by a note that reads, “As a rule, Deep Purple is apolitical, but on this occasion…”
The messages also are accompanied by the lyrics to the group’s Cold War-inspired 1970 song “Child in Time.”
Frontman Ian Gillan writes, “If speaking out means we shall never see our Russian friends again, then that is a big sacrifice, but nothing compared with never again seeing our Ukrainian friends who are being killed to satisfy the psychopathic ambitions of the Russian leader. I would like to see Russians on the streets in their millions, to show their disgust at the Ukrainian invasion, and I’d like to dream that very quickly, Russia can find some modern leadership that will bring them back into the world as friends. We have so much in common.”
Bassist Roger Glover writes, in part, “We condemn [Russian President Vladimir] Putin‘s military for the atrocities to innocent men, women and children in Ukraine[,] and we apologize to our Russian and Ukrainian fans that the shows have been cancelled. We live in hope that we can fulfill those dates in the future.”
Drummer Ian Paice‘s message reads, partly, “What’s happening is beyond distressing. It’s criminal and should be treated as such. The invasion of Putin’s army into Ukraine, (because that’s what it is), I hope will turn out to bring his ultimate downfall.”
While Kanye West‘s song “Eazy” takes more than a veiled dig at Pete Davidson — “dig” being the operative word, as Ye buries an animated avatar of the SNL star alive — the flap has gone viral in another way.
In a TikTok video that has been liked more than 771,000 times and counting, it seems workers at one Starbucks are doing their own market research as to whom customers are backing in the beef, by using tip jars.
The video from user @dejapoo00 shows a pair of boxes meant for workers’ tips, with one marked with the name of Kim Kardashian‘s estranged husband, and the other her rebound boyfriend.
Just by the cash and the comments alone, Davidson is on top: It shows more bills in his box compared to Ye’s, the latter of which has collected a smattering of spare change.
“The kanye one full of coins bc only 16 yr old boys side with him,” snarked one TikTok user.
Another commented, “I’d empty my wallet for pete.”
Others saw the darker side of ‘Ye’s video, which he defended Sunday as, “…not a proxy for any ill or harm.”
One TikToker noted, “Kanye has been unhinged & making Kim feel threatened. That’s 100% not okay & that’s why Pete’s winning.”
Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan’s “Buy Dirt” is heading into tonight’s ACM Awards ceremony nominated in three categories, and though Luke isn’t the primary artist or a writer on the song, he says its message is enormously important to him.
“[Jordan is] so amazing at all this and having so much fun, and I am, too,” Luke says ahead of the show. “That song is really important for me to be on, too. I’m really honored to be a part of it.”
Luke’s been lucky enough to put out many songs that are special to him over the course of his career, but he knows it’s never a given that a special song will get recognition at an awards show. One example that comes to mind is his chart-topping 2013 ballad, “Drink a Beer.” The song reflects on the loss of a loved one, a pain that Luke knows all too well — when he performed it at the 2013 CMA Awards, he dedicated it to his late siblings, Chris and Kelly.
But “Drink a Beer” was never nominated at an awards show, though in Luke’s opinion, it “probably should have been nominated for some stuff,” or even “won Song of the Year.”
Luke has learned never to take awards show recognition for ganted, which makes “Buy Dirt”’s multiple mentions all the more special. “It’s always amazing to have the opportunity to try to win one of these awards,” he notes.
The ACMs will stream tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video. Dolly Parton is co-hosting the event with Gabby Barrett and Jimmie Allen.
