Maddie & Tae bandmates Taylor Kerr and Maddie Font aren’t just partners in music: They’re also best friends. So, it makes sense that when Taylor got pregnant with her daughter, Leighton, Maddie was the first person, aside from her husband, to who she told the good news.
Baby Leighton’s now six months old, but the pair shared a throwback pic from the very beginning of Taylor’s pregnancy along with a sweet message.
“This may look like any old picture,” Taylor writes next to an image of the two singers backstage, arms thrown around each other.
“But this was actually taken the day after I found out I was pregnant,” she reveals. “Maddie was the only person that knew (besides my husband) so we snapped a pic to celebrate our first show as a trio.”
Maddie & Tae are currently gearing up for the release of Through the Madness Vol. 2, the second half of a project that began in January with the release of Vol. 1.
Through the Madness Vol. 2 comes out in late September.
On the heels of the release of their new studio album, Freedom, Journey kicks off a series of four orchestral concerts Friday night in Las Vegas at the new Resorts World Theatre, a 4,700-seat venue with a modern sound system.
“We’re definitely looking very much forward to playing these first shows … at [concert promoter] AEG’s new venue,” Journey guitarist Neal Schon tells ABC Audio. “It is supposed to be a complete state-of-the-art venue, from what I’ve heard from everyone that’s been there … It’s gonna sound amazing in there.”
Back in December, Journey played a one-off concert with an orchestra at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, but Schon says the new shows — which are scheduled for July 15, 16, 22 and 23 — will feature some different songs, including some tunes from Freedom.
“It’s gonna be a nice little stay there,” Schon offers.
Schon says the band likely will perform the songs from the new album without orchestral accompaniment, noting, “I think we’re gonna leave those raw and just lay it on the audience.”
According to Schon, among the new tunes from Journey’s back catalog that will be performed with the symphony are “Winds of March” and “City of Hope.”
Meanwhile, Schon says he actually likes the way Journey’s harder-rocking songs sound with an orchestra more than the ballads.
“It’s like the ballads, you can imagine what the symphony sounds like, ’cause they already sound like they’re orchestrated … on the album, with keys and sometimes real strings,” he explains. “But the rock stuff [combined with a symphony] adds a whole different dimension.”
Besides the four Vegas performances, Journey has eight nonsymphonic concerts lined up around the U.S. this year. Visit JourneyMusic.com to check out the band’s full schedule.
In the new coming of age dramedy Don’t Make Me Go, out Friday on Prime Video, John Cho plays a single dad who embarks on a cross-country road trip with his less than thrilled teen daughter, played by newcomer Mia Isaac, and Cho tells ABC Audio it was a movie he wanted to make the second he read the script.
“The father daughter relationship obviously was the thing that was really attractive,” he says. “I’m a parent, so there was so many similarities for me in sentiment and worldview. But beyond that, my impression when I closed the script was, I wish I could see this movie…I wish it existed. And it seemed like something I would watch.”
The Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle star particularly enjoyed the road trip scenes, noting, “It was a lot like a real road trip. There were games and singing and trivia and conversation and being bored and snacking.”
Don’t Make Me Go marks Isaac’s big screen debut, and the 18-year-old actress admits she wasn’t that familiar with her co-star’s Harold and Kumar movies until her parents filled her in.
“I remember like getting off of the directors call back and I was like, yeah, apparently I’m supposed to be working with this guy, John Cho,” she recalls. “And my parents were like John Cho! And I was like, and then of course they had me watch everything. And I was a true John Cho fan by the time we got to New Zealand.”
Jokes Cho, “That seems like irresponsible parenting, if you ask me.”
Kate Bush has broken another Billboard record as “Running Up That Hill” continues its post-Stranger Things resurgence.
The 1985 song has now jumped to #9 on the Alternative Airplay chart, giving Bush the longest-ever gap between top-10 hits on that particular ranking since it began in 1988.
Bush last charted in the Alternative Airplay top 10 in January 1994 with “Rubberband Girl,” a total of 28 years, five months and one week ago. That essentially doubles the previous mark of 14 years, six months and one week set by The Strokes between “Juicebox” in 2005 and “Bad Decisions” in 2020.
When “Running Up That Hill” first debuted on Alternative Airplay in June, Bush set the record for longest gap between appearances on the chart, regardless of placement.
Since its use in Stranger Things season 4, which premiered in late May, “Running Up That Hill” has been running up many, many charts, including reaching the top five on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Bush also broke several U.K. chart records as “Running Up That Hill” went to #1 in her home country.
The response to “Running Up That Hill” has been so massive that the famously press-shy Bush has issued several public statements and even gave her first interview in years.
Meanwhile, the Stranger Things episode that uses “Running Up That Hill” most prominently, “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” has received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Supervision.
Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson are among the many artists featured in the upcoming Rolling Stones docuseries, My Life as a Rolling Stone.
Their participation was revealed in a new trailer for the project, which will included four hourlong episodes, each dedicated to one of the four main Stones members: singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and late drummer Charlie Watts.
Other non-Stones taking part include Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Chrissie Hynde, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Walsh, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits and Dan Aykroyd. Actress Sienna Miller narrates the series.
My Life as a Rolling Stone premieres August 7 on EPIX.
Founding Toto keyboardist/singer David Paich has released a second advance track from his forthcoming debut solo EP, Forgotten Toys, which is due out August 19.
“Queen Charade” is available now via digital platforms, and you also can check it out on Toto’s official YouTube channel. The track features ex-Eagles member Don Felder on slide guitar, as well as Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and current Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
The song was inspired by the opera Queen of Spades and tells the story of a manipulative woman who beguiles men with her skill at playing cards.
Paich says, “This song, about an obsessed gambler and a cunning duchess, was inspired after I worked on Keith [Richards‘ 2015] solo record [Crosseyed Heart].”
As previously reported, Forgotten Toys is a seven-track EP that Paich co-produced with Toto frontman Joseph Williams and features contributions from a variety of well-known music artists, including Williams, Michael McDonald, Brian Eno, Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone, Ray Parker Jr. and the aforementioned Felder, Lukather and Jordan.
The first advance track from the EP was a song titled “Spirit of the Moonrise,” which Paich co-wrote with Williams. That song also features Williams and McDonald on backing vocals, and lead guitar from Lukather.
Camila Cabello has said goodbye to her long, brunette hair and has traded it in for shoulder length caramel-colored locks. She debuted her new look on her Instagram Stories.
Michael Bublé will be releasing his own cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” Thursday night. He teased the cover on Instagram in a video of him being handed the keys to his tour bus. “Olivia is such a talented singer and songwriter. Her song was stuck in my head on repeat,” he raved.
Harry Styles is about to drop a new line from his Pleasing beauty line. Hot Holiday arrives July 19 at 12 p.m. ET. Elle reports new items include the “Probiotic Soothing Spritz” drink, the “Everybody Oil” body oil and a whole bunch of new nail polishes.
Taylor Swift quietly dispelled rumors that she’s engaged to boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Daily Mail reports the two were spotted around London, and there was no sparkler on Taylor’s ring finger. The two were photographed beating England’s heatwave by grabbing iced coffee and enjoying an intimate outdoor conversation at a cafe.
In other Taylor news, she returned to Instagram to encourage voters in her state to get ready for the Tennessee primary, which is August 4. She also reminded them in her Instagram Story that early voting in the state opens Friday.
Kevin Jonas loves being a girl dad and shared photos on his Instagram of him taking one of his daughters to get her nails done at the salon — and he joined her! He captioned the post, “#girldad things.”
Kane Roberts and Alice Cooper in 1987; Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
After guitarist Nita Strauss announced earlier this week that she was exiting Alice Cooper‘s touring band, the shock rocker has revealed that he’s “welcoming back” Kane Roberts for his September and October tour dates.
The 60-year-old Roberts previously played with Cooper from 1985 to 1988. He lent his talents to a pair of Alice’s studio albums, 1986’s Constrictor and 1987’s Raise Your Fist and Yell, as well as to one track on Cooper’s hit 1989 album, Trash.
“We’ve been friends all this time, and [Kane has] always been one of my favorite guitarists,” Cooper says in a statement. “He’s bringing more muscle to the Detroit Muscle Tour. We’ve always had a swinging door policy where players can come and go, so it’s very exciting to get back on stage with Kane. The fans are in for a real treat at these shows. It’s gonna be a blast.”
Roberts make up a three-guitar attack that also includes Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen.
Strauss, who began playing with Cooper in 2014, announced Monday in a social media post that she was leaving his group and that she also was canceling her solo plans for the rest of the year.
“There is no drama whatsoever and my touring year is still VERY full,” she wrote. “In fact, I’m on a flight straight into the next adventure as I post this, and I’ll be on stage again much sooner than you think! But that’s news for another day.”
Cooper’s U.S. tour kicks off September 7 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and runs through an October 8 show in Henderson, Nevada.
Alice also will be appearing at the Comicpalooza event this Saturday and Sunday in Houston, where he’ll take part in a panel, sign autographs and more.
Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wurevealed on Twitter Thursday that backlash from a series of tweets she’d sent back in 2019 led her to attempt suicide.
Wu, who also starred in Hustlers with Jennifer Lopez, caught flak online when she replied to news of her former ABC sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat, being renewed by saying, “So upset right now I’m literally crying,” and “Ugh F***ing hell,” among other responses.
Her comments were flamed online by fans of the show and others, who called her ungrateful for the show’s success and worse.
In a lengthy statement posted to the social media platform Thursday, Wu revealed, “I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it.”
“3 years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe. I felt awful about what I’d said, and when a few DMs from a fellow Asian actress told me I’d become a blight on the Asian American community, I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore,” she continued.
Some of these DMs accused her of being “a disgrace to AsAms [Asian Americans],” and said that, “they’d be better off without me,” she said.
“Looking back, it’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened. Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER,” Wu wrote.
The actress added, “For the next few years, I put my career aside to focus on my mental health. AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough…there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community.”
“After a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK enough to venture back on here,” Wu said of Twitter, adding she’s scared, but “I’ve decided that I owe it to the me-of-3-years-ago to be brave and share my story so that it might help someone with theirs.”
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.
Billie Eilish revealed she has no idea what her natural hair color is anymore — because she’s been dyeing her hair for over a decade.
The singer shared her beauty routine with Vogue and opened up about her chameleon-like appearance. “My hair, it has randomly in my life been a thing that I change a lot and I’ve had many, many, many different hair colors since I was, like, 10,” Billie said.
“I didn’t even know that was a part of me. I just did it,” the Oscar winner continued. “I never thought, ‘Oh, I want hair to be the thing that I do.'”
Billie said her parents encouraged her self-expression and were “down for me being 9 and grab a Manic Panic blue from CVS and throw it on my hair!”
“They didn’t care,” she shrugged, which she said allowed her to feel “really comfortable” with changing up her look from time to time. Because of that, it’s one of her favorite things to do.
“I dyed it blue first when I was 9, I think, and then when I was 13, I got it bleached for the first time. I got it white. I had white hair for years,” Billie recalled, but said her current color — black — is “what feels the most like me, weirdly.”
She adds having black hair is “kind of a life-changer” because it makes it “much easier to go out in the world and be a normal person,” as opposed to the signature green hair she rocked for two years. “I couldn’t go anywhere,” she recalled.
As for what her natural hair color is, Billie’s guess is as good as ours. “I think I’m naturally blond,” she suggested. “I haven’t had natural hair color in a long time.”
