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‘The Straight Man’: ABC picks up Bob Odenkirk’s ‘Better Call Saul’ follow-up

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Better Call Saul isn’t even over yet, but its star Bob Odenkirk has his next TV project ahead of him, and he’s not leaving AMC.

The network announced it’s staying in the Odenkirk business with The Straight Man, a “mid-life crisis tale” starring the Emmy winner as William Henry Devereaux, Jr., “the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt.”

Odenkirk of course preceded Saul with the Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad, which also aired on the cable network.

“The saying goes ‘the third times a charm,’ but when it comes to Bob Odenkirk on AMC, the first and second times were about as charming, captivating and viscerally entertaining as it gets,” the network’s head Dan McDermott in a statement.

Odenkirk added, “I have loved the mix of comedy and drama in Better Call Saul, and this is another story with a unique dynamic, and the kind of closely observed character writing and exploration that AMC has become the touchstone for.”

The “thrilled” actor added, “It’s going to be fun to play and watch!”

“Talk about a way to merge my worlds”: Kenny Chesney celebrates Earth Day with a week of activities

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Reefs, which helps support healthy oceans, is partnering with Tampa Bay Watch for a five-day Earth Day celebration.

Earth Day takes place this Friday, and to celebrate the holiday, Tampa Bay Watch’s Living Shoreline project will release Reef Balls filled with sea grass off the Florida coast, allowing the balls to sink into the sediment and the sea grass to grow.

That’s part of the organization’s mission to rebuild the shoreline and prevent further erosion. For Kenny, it’s the latest in a string of initiatives he’s partnered with in order to help foster healthy oceans off the coast of his adopted home state.

“Talk about a way to merge my worlds,” Kenny states. “We have been doing various projects around the country. But when Tampa Bay Watch had a week of actual activities designed to not just walk people through the process, but teach them how to not only make Reef Balls but allow people to deploy the Reef Balls filled with sea grass on Earth Day, it was the best kind of synergy possible.”

It’s a big week for Kenny in musical news, too: His 2022 Here and Now Tour begins on Saturday.

Ryan Tedder & Kygo are turning their Bored Ape NFTs into a band with actual music

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Back in 1998, Damon Albarn from the British group Blur started Gorillaz: a “virtual” group of animated musicians drawn by artist Jamie Hewlett, with real, famous musicians playing the actual songs made by the “band.” Well, just to prove that everything old is new again, OneRepublic‘s Ryan Tedder and DJ/producer Kygo have teamed up to create their own “virtual” group…out of their cartoon NFTs.

Both Ryan and Kygo own “Bored Ape” NFTs, which depict various cartoon apes, each of which is generated by an algorithm. Justin Bieber and Madonna are among the other celebrities who’ve purchased Bored Ape NFTs. Now, Ryan and Kygo have put theirs together in a “metaverse band” called Bored Brothers.

Bored Brothers’ first “single” — which is also an NFT, natch — arrives Friday at 5 p.m. ET. It’s called “DRIP.” No word on what it sounds like, but the description says Bored Brothers’ music is “based primarily in dance and hip-hop” and “stems from an overwhelming desire to curate and create music outside our respective genres.”

OneRepublic and Kygo have also collaborated on a few singles in the past, most recently “Lose Somebody,” which came out in 2020.

Nicolas Cage reveals he nearly bought himself a Batcave

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Comic fan Nicolas Cage nearly played Superman on the big screen, but IRL he nearly bought a Batcave.

The comic-collecting Oscar winner, who portrayed Ghost Rider in two films and a version of Spider-Man in Into the Spider-Verse, revealed to Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night that he almost purchased a real-life version of Batman’s hideout.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star, marking his first time on a talk show in 14 years, played along while Kimmel tried to dispel rumors about the mercurial actor.

“We were in North Dakota, in the Black Hills, when we were shooting one of the [National] Treasure movies,” Cage said. “I said, ‘I hear there’s a cave for sale, let’s go look at it.'”

Instead of wanting to use it as a headquarters to fight crime, however, Cage recalled having a different plan, thinking, “‘I’d like to buy this and just get totally naked with my wife and drink nigori [sake] in the bottom of the cave in the earth.”

Also differing from the Caped Crusader’s crash pad, there were no bats in the cave, said Cage, who resisted the urge to buy it.

The actor also confirmed that he once spent a night in Dracula’s castle, and that he’d been stalked by mimes.

In addition, Cage relayed a story about an incredible hot streak while gambling in the Bahamas. Cage turned $200 at the roulette table into $20,000, which he then put into the hands of the headmistress of an orphanage he visited there. “And I never gambled again,” Cage said, fearing he’d never be able to recapture the magic.

Davido’s surprise summer tour is already selling out

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Nigerian music superstar Davido gave fans an unexpected surprise when he announced that his North American tour is set to kick off this June, and they responded, clearly excited, since one of the stops is already sold out!

The 29-year-old international singer-songwriter posted a show update to Instagram on Thursday, revealing that the Toronto stop on his “We Rise by Lifting Others” tour has sold all of its available tickets.

Davido had just revealed the five-city pop-up trek on this past Tuesday, alerting concert-goers about the many surprises and new tunes he might preview at the shows.

“I miss my fans in North America so much I had to put together a short run just to come see you all,” he wrote. “Going to be plenty of surprises and I might preview a few songs off my new album. Tickets on sale everywhere this THURSDAY ! LETS GO.”

In 2011, Davido found major music success with the release of his debut album, Back When, and hit single “Dami Duro.” His popular song “If” also landed at the top of the Apple Music charts for weeks after its release.

Here’s a list of the tour stops and dates:

6/16 — Brooklyn, NY, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
6/17 — Toronto, ON, History
6/18 — Boston, MA, House of Blues
6/21 — Chicago, IL, Aragon Ballroom
6/25 — Los Angeles, CA, YouTube Theater

Ex-Poco/Buffalo Springfield member Richie Furay releasing an album of country covers in July

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Country-rock pioneer Richie Furay, a co-founding member of both Buffalo Springfield and Poco, will release a new studio album called In the Country on July 8 that features his interpretations of country hits.

Among the tunes featured on the 12-track collection are renditions of such country chart-toppers as Keith Urban‘s “Somebody Like You,” Garth Brooks‘ “The River,” Alabama‘s “I’m in a Hurry and I Don’t Know Why,” and Lee Ann Womack‘s “I Hope You Dance, as well as notable crossover hits like John Denver‘s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and Marc Cohn‘s “Walking in Memphis.”

In the Country‘s lead track, “Somebody Like You,” has been released as the album’s first single, and is available now via digital formats. A music video for the tune featuring Furay performing the song has debuted on his official YouTube channel.

The album includes guest contributions from Vince Gill, John Berry, ex-Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff, and longtime Eagles bassist/former Poco member Timothy B. Schmit.

The digital version of In the Country features two bonus tracks — renditions of the 1969 Furay-penned Poco tune “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” and George Strait‘s 1992 chart-topper “I Cross My Heart.” You can pre-order the album starting Friday.

Meanwhile, a special exclusive vinyl version of In the Country will be released on June 18 as part of the 2022 Record Store Day event.

“I believe that there is always a reason for everything,” says Furay, reflecting on his country collection. “And I believe that the timing for this record is going to be so refreshing for so many people who have struggled so much with what we’ve gone through that it’s going to be a breath of fresh air for everybody.”

Here’s In the Country‘s full track list:

“Somebody Like You”
“I Hope You Dance”
“Take Me Home, Country Roads”
“She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful”
“Your Love Amazes Me”
“I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)”
“Lonesome Town”
“Walking in Memphis”
“I’m Already There”
“The River”
“In This Life”
“Chalk”

Digital Bonus Tracks:
“I Cross My Heart”
“Pickin’ Up the Pieces”

Wildfires scorching the West could explode due to heavy winds

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A wildfire inferno is setting up in multiple states as dangerous fire conditions threaten to spread the fires even further.

At least 14 fires are currently burning through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma.

North of Flagstaff, Arizona, where the Tunnel Fire has been scorching through communities after sparking on Sunday, about 750 homes have been evacuated. The Tunnel Fire has burned through 20,000 acres so far and is 0% contained.

About 100 miles southwest of Flagstaff, the Crooks Fire in Prescott, Arizona, has blazed through 2,000 acres and is also 0% contained.

Voluntary evacuations have been ordered in Jarales, New Mexico, where the Bosque Fire has burned through 165 acres and is expected to grow, while mandatory evacuations were issued in Boulder County, Colorado, after the Table Mountain Fire grew to 52 acres.

Red flag and high wind alerts had been issued Thursday for eight states from Arizona to Nebraska. Relative humidity is also down to 5%, with wind gusts as high as 70 mph are possible. The wind is being created by a storm system moving through the West on Thursday and Friday.

The worst fire conditions Thursday are expected to stretch from New Mexico to Colorado. A decades-long megadrought in the West has also contributed to the fire danger in the region.

The fire danger is expected to worsen even more on Friday, with states from New Mexico to Colorado classified as being in extreme fire danger, the highest level of fire danger.

The storm system moving West will bring severe weather from Texas to Minnesota, with damaging winds, large hail and the possibility of isolated tornados.

ABC News’ Max Golembo and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

Switchfoot unites with lovelytheband for new “I Need You (To Be Wrong)” remix

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Switchfoot has released a new remix of the band’s song “I Need You (To Be Wrong)” in collaboration with lovelytheband.

In a statement, the “Meant to Live” rockers describe the updated track as “almost a remix in reverse.”

“Taking a dissonant idiosyncratic single and making it sweet,” Switchfoot says. “lovelytheband did a great job — loved hearing their take on this one!”

“The first band I was ever a fan of was Switchfoot,” adds lovelytheband drummer Sam Price. “To work with them on a song was a movie-like, full circle moment. It was truly special!”

You can listen to the remix now via digital outlets.

The original “I Need You (To Be Wrong)” appears on Switchfoot’s new album, Interrobang, which was released last August. Switchfoot will launch a tour in support of the record alongside Collective Soul in July.

lovelytheband released their latest album, Conversation with Myself About You, in 2020.

BTS is giving you permission to work out with new Apple Fitness+ partnership

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

BTS sure is busy these days. They recently took over Las Vegas, are hard at work on new music, and will be reviving their cooking show, BTS Recipe. Now, the group’s coming to your gym — kinda.

Engadget reports BTS is teaming with Apple Fitness+ for an all-new workout that’ll drop on International Dance Day, which is April 29. The “Butter” singers have their own dance workout coming soon that’s set to their music that’s sure to make you sweat. Each week will offer a brand-new regimen for you to master.

Not only that, the Apple Fitness instructors will teach you how to perform the band’s “Dynamite” dance moves. Complete these workouts, or at least last for 20 minutes per episode, and you’ll be rewarded with limited-edition awards and animated stickers for your messages.

Other weekly BTS-inspired episodes won’t just focus on dance and will offer workouts for the treadmill, cycling, Pilates, strength, HIIT and yoga.

BTS isn’t the only musical act aiming to help whip people into beach-bod shape. Apple Fitness is also developing workout routines set to music from ABBA and Queen.

Korn premieres video for ’Requiem’ track “Worst Is on Its Way”

April 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Korn has premiered the video for “Worst Is on Its Way,” the current single off the band’s new album, Requiem.

The black-and-white clip captures an intense performance by Jonathan Davis and company, cut with footage of the band members being, as a press release puts it, “decomposed into animated particles.”

You can watch the “Worst Is on Its Way” video streaming now on YouTube.

Requiem, the 14th Korn album, was released in February. It also includes the single “Start the Healing.”

Korn will hit the road in support of Requiem on a co-headlining U.S. tour with Evanescence beginning in August.

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