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‘Long Slow Exhale’ creators say show creates “a world that you hadn’t seen before”

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The highly anticipated women’s sports drama Long Slow Exhale premieres today, and the show runners warn it’s a story no one has seen before on television.

Long Slow Exhale stars Rose Rollins as J.C. Abernathy, the head coach of a women’s college basketball team who gets swept up in a horrific sexual abuse scandal involving her star player and assistant coach. With her career on the line, she aims to find the truth — no matter what or who stands in her way.

Pam Veasey, who created the show, told ABC Audio that her aim was to “create a strong female lead who was flawed and redeemable in a world that you hadn’t seen before.” Veasey added that the story also shows just how many lives a sexual abuse scandal touches and asks, “What is the journey of those coaches — or the players, or the victims or their parents?”

Producer Casey Haver said the goal of the project was to tell an “authentic” story that wasn’t “[exploitative] in any way.” Director Anton Cropper added that meant being mindful when it came to exploring every “character’s headspace” to “really understand how they were affected and how their choices affected others.”

Rollins said she appreciated the show’s sensitivity and bold storyline because it created such “multi-layered, complicated” characters. The actress added that her character’s arc had such a strong impact on her, she unintentionally began method acting.

“I’m not exaggerating. I would dream as J.C. — I would have J.C.’s dreams,” she remarked, calling the experience “a head trip.”

Ian Harding, who portrays assistant coach Eddie Hagan, said it was “tricky” playing someone who is accused of an unspeakable crime but doesn’t believe “what he did was wrong,” which leads to some “painful scenes.”

Long Slow Exhale is streaming now on SpectrumTV.

‘Late Late Show with James Corden’s’ “Carpool Karaoke” returns this week with Nicki Minaj as the first guest

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The beloved Late Late Show with James Corden segment “Carpool Karaoke” is finally returning after a two-year hiatus, and superstar rapper Nicki Minaj will be the late-night host’s first guest to take part in the popular sing-along showcase.

In the Twitter announcement on Friday, James Corden revealed the exciting news by sharing a promo video of the new installment and revealing that both Minaj and singer Camila Cabello will be featured in upcoming segments.

The skit, which usually features musical artists who ride in a car with Corden and sing along to some of their greatest hits, was on pause for two years due to the pandemic and social-distancing guidelines.

Speaking of the show’s musical guests in a past interview on The Ellen Show, Corden said, “It feels like there’s a whole raft of artists that we are desperate to do it with.”

Stars and celebrities that have made previous appearances on the segment include Mariah Carey, Michelle Obama, Missy Elliot and Jennifer Hudson.

The first new episode of Carpool Karaoke, featuring Minaj, will air this Wednesday, April 6, while Cabello will appear on the April 18 episode.

Dolly Parton sends “prayer” for the Tennessee wildfires + confirms that “everything is okay” at Dollywood

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Dolly Parton is once again showing her support for her fellow Tennesseeans affected by the recent wildfires in her home state.

“It looks scary on TV, but I’m proud of how everyone in the area has pulled together like they always do,” the singer shared on socials. “I’m especially proud of the brave men and women who are working to contain the fire. I know there are some folks who have been affected, and I hope that you will join me in saying a prayer for them.”

The fires have caused an extensive mandatory evacuation in the Wears Valley Fire location, which is near Pigeon Forge. That’s close to Dolly’s birthplace of Sevierville, and is home to her theme park, Dollywood, though the singer assured fans that the park wasn’t impacted.

“During this time, I’ve also remained in touch with my people at Dollywood who have assured me that everything is okay there,” she noted.

Throughout her ascent to superstardom, Dolly has maintained close ties with her home state through her Dollywood Foundation. At present, the foundation’s website directs visitors wishing to support those affected by the fires in the Gatlinburg region to MountainTough.org.

Harry Styles breaks two major Spotify records with new single “As It Was”

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Looks like fans just couldn’t get enough of Harry Styles‘ new single “As It Was” — following its release, it’s broken two major Spotify records.

“As It Was” became Spotify’s most-streamed song in the U.S. in a single day, with 8.3 million streams. The record was previously held by Olivia Rodrigo‘s “drivers license,” which had eight million streams when it was first released.

In addition, “As It Was” is now the most-streamed song globally in a single day so far this year, with 21.6 million streams.

“As It Was” is the first single from Harry’s new album Harry’s House, due out May 20. It’s available for pre-order now. The record will have a total of 13 tracks, including “As It Was.”

Harry will perform the track live for the first time ever during his headlining gig at Coachella Festival on April 15 and 22.

AWOLNATION is “pretty far along” on next original record; hoping for fall single release

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In addition to releasing a covers collection this year, AWOLNATION has been working on a new, original record. Speaking with ABC Audio, frontman Aaron Bruno reveals that he’s “pretty far along” on the upcoming effort.

“No one’s heard any of it,” Bruno says. “But where I am on it, it feels pretty far along.”

As for when we might get to hear any of the fresh material, Bruno’s hesitant to offer a firm date, but hopes to have something out before 2022 is over.

“Every time I think this or say something like this, it never comes true,” Bruno says. “But if all goes according to how I have it in my head, I could see a single or a new song coming out hopefully by the fall or sometime before the end of the year, I would think. That’s my goal, at least.”

Bruno knows a thing or two about plans going awry. AWOL’s last album, Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders, was released in April 2020, a month into the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour behind the record, which was to expand its conceptual world and cast of characters, was canceled.

“[The pandemic] just put a bulldozer through the creative aspect of the characters and what were going to be visuals and the story I was trying to tell,” Bruno says. “I had to make peace with that, and that’s OK. People are dealing with much bigger issues than that.”

As for whether the Angel Miners follow-up will follow in its predecessor’s conceptual footsteps, Bruno isn’t sure yet.

“Right now it’s just a group of songs more than it is an idea or a way to present the story,” he says.

Meanwhile, AWOLNATION’s My Echo, My Shadows, My Covers and Me compilation drops May 6.

In the midst of wedding planning, Hardy admits the logistics are tough: We “fired our wedding planner”

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Last August, Hardy got down on one knee on the rose-strewn floor of a historic Mississippi theater and proposed to his longtime love, Caleigh Ryan.

While the newly affianced couple’s special moment was certainly the stuff of fairy tales, organizing the wedding hasn’t always been nearly so romantic in the months since, Hardy admits. “We just fired our wedding planner,” the singer said with a chuckle backstage at the ACM Awards in February. “That’s an update.”

In between co-writing sessions and a rigorous touring schedule, Hardy says it’s been difficult to nail down dates, details and just about everything else about the ceremony.

“We’re just trying to get married in October sometime. We’re still looking at venues. It’s tough, man,” he continues. “We want to have a big wedding with a lot of people, and we’re trying to figure out the right venue for it. It’s been tough, but I think we’re getting there.”

He says “we,” but Hardy is quick to give his bride-to-be the credit for most of the planning. “Caleigh’s taking the reins, no doubt,” he acknowledges.

“And she’s got a little bit more time on her hands. But I’m very responsive,” Hardy goes on to say. “I told her from the beginning: I care, but I don’t have an opinion. So it could be whatever she wants.”

The ceremony may still be in the works, but the couple have already put together one heck of an engagement party. In February, Caleigh shared a string of snapshots of the dazzling, impeccably decorated event, complete with a muted pastel color scheme, wedding-themed duds for the future bride and groom, and a gigantic lit-up sign that reads “Engaged.”

Alanis Morissette puts her spin on the ‘Bridgerton’ cover of “You Oughta Know”

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you’re a fan of Bridgerton, chances are you’ve recognized several modern-day songs playing in the background as orchestral pieces, such as Taylor Swift‘s “Wildest Dreams” and Maroon 5‘s “Girls Like You.”

Alanis Morissette was the latest artist to have one of her hits transformed by the popular Netflix series, now in its second season — giving a Regency era-twist to the Grammy winner’s “You Oughta Know.” The cover played during the fifth episode, when Kate, played by Simone Ashley, and Jonathan Bailey‘s Anthony Bridgerton resist their feelings for one another because of the scandal it would cause.

Fans fell in love with this classical cover — and so did Alanis. So, she kicked things up a notch by lending her vocals to the instrumental version, which you can listen to now on YouTube.

Accompanied by Duomo and Kroma Strings, Alanis sings along to the slowed down and violin-heavy adaptation of her revenge hit. The “Ironic” singer, dressed in a red suit, sits on a stone bench under a magnolia tree to belt out the impassioned track as scenes of Kate and Anthony’s rollercoaster romance flash across the screen.

Fans praised how the singer transformed her tone, effectively changing her once angry breakup anthem to make it sound full of heartbreak and pining.

Here’s hoping Alanis has now sparked a trend and more artists decide to sing along to their Bridgerton versions of their biggest hits.

Bridgerton is streaming its second season on Netflix.

Grammys 2022: The Backstage Scene

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Backstage at the Grammys Sunday night in Las Vegas, artists answered questions from both reporters who were actually backstage at the MGM Grand Arena, and reporters who’d logged in on Zoom from around the country. But some of the night’s biggest winners didn’t appear backstage.

Olivia Rodrigo and Silk Sonic, both of whom won multiple awards Sunday night, posed for photos, but didn’t talk to reporters. Doja Cat, who won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Kiss Me More,” also declined to speak with reporters, but her duet partner, SZA, did come backstage, despite the fact that she was on crutches due to, as she put it, “falling out of bed” the day before.

“That’s the way it goes,” she laughed. “Everything awesome in my life has always come with something very random, but it just adds to the energy.”

SZA’s Grammy was her first win after 11 nominations, and R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and country duo Brothers Osborne were two other artists who finally won for the first time Sunday night after multiple nominations. Backstage, Sullivan, who actually won two trophies, said, “After losing so many times, I feel like I kinda gave up [hope of ever winning]…so it’s surreal to actually hold these babies!”

TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne, who admitted that his mother “hates” that he dyed his hair blond, spoke about how “incredibly fulfilling” it’s been to perform for their fans since he came out as gay last year.

But country’s big winner was Chris Stapleton, who took home three trophies, including Best Country Album. Asked backstage who out there he’d like to collaborate with, Stapleton, who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Adele and Santana, among others, said he wouldn’t mind working with Harry Styles.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood won the Best Roots Gospel Album Grammy for her faith-based project My Savior and cried backstage as she spoke about how it “means the world” to her that she won because she’s wanted to make that kind of album “literally my whole career.”

H.E.R., who won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy, was still buzzing from her performance with Lenny Kravitz on the show. “I was having so much fun…growing up, I’d literally study all his videos…he’s one of the reasons why I even wanted to play guitar, so having this full circle moment…I was at a loss for words.”

And The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste, who had the most Grammys going into the show, also cited Lenny Kravitz as HIS full circle moment: Kravitz announced that Batiste had won the Album of the Year for his project We Are. “We played together when I was 16, so it was surreal,” Batiste told reporters, adding, “Seeing Uncle Lenny up there, it was just like a whole vibe, like, ‘This is far out.'”

Foo Fighters swept the rock categories, but sadly, they didn’t attend due to the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. St. Vincent won Best Alternative Album for Daddy’s Home and backstage, she mentioned how happy she was that Jack Antonoff, her co-producer on the album, had been named Producer of the Year.

She also spoke about how “times are changing” in terms of women in alternative rock, while rock legend Bonnie Raitt, who won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, praised the new crop of young female artists, including Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.

“Across all genres, I think women are kickin’ it,” said Raitt.

Grammys 2022: Chris Stapleton wins big; Carrie Underwood, Brothers Osborne and more perform

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The 64th annual Grammy Awards kicked off live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena Sunday night, hosted by Trevor Noah.

Chris Stapleton won big, snagging the award for Best Country Album for Starting Over during the televised portion of the awards ceremony. He also won Best Country Song for “Cold,” which he later took the stage to effortlessly perform.

Another amazing performance came from Brandi Carlile, who, after being introduced by music icons Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell, sang her Grammy-nominated hit “Right On Time.”

Looking fierce, Carrie Underwood performed her new song “Ghost Story” for the first time ever. Showing off her powerhouse vocals, she was slowly raised into the air on a platform as the song came an end.

Ending on a high, Brothers Osborne closed out the show giving an electric performance of “Dead Man’s Curve,” which comes after the duo, consisting of brothers TJ and John Osborne, won their first ever Grammy award for Best County Duo/Group Performance for “Younger Me.”

Accepting the award, TJ, joined by his brother at the podium during a pre-telecast premiere ceremony, said, “For those of you who do not know, this song was written really in response to me coming out.”

“I never thought I would be able to do music professionally because of my sexuality,” he continued. “And I certainly never thought I would be here on this stage accepting a Grammy after having done something I felt like was going to be life-changing, potentially in a very negative way. And here I am tonight, not only accepting this Grammy award with my brother, who I love so much, but I’m here with a man that I love and who loves me back. I don’t know what I did to get so lucky.”

Grammys 2022: H.E.R, Nas, and more perform medley of hits

April 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The 64th annual Grammy Awards kicked off live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena Sunday night, hosted by Trevor Noah.

Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak’s, Silk Sonic started music’s biggest night, with a smooth performance of their hit “777.” The duo also won big, taking home the Grammy for each of the four categories they were nominated for, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Leave the Door Open.”

Lil Nas X got the crowd hype with mixture of songs from his debut album MONTERO, including “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow, who joined him.

Legendary rap icon Nas performed a medley of his hits over the years including 2001’s “One Mic,” 2002’s “Made You Look,” and “Rare” from his 2021 album King’s Disease II, which was nominated for Album of the Year.

John Legend, joined by three women from Ukraine — an instrumentalist, a vocalist, and a third who delivered a spoken word — led a moving performance of the spiritual “Go Down, Moses.”

The multi-talented H.E.R. sang her hits “Damage” and “We Made It,” before Travis Barker and Lenny Kravitz hopped on stage with her for a cover of Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

Other notable moments during the ceremony included Jazmine Sullivan winning Best R&B Album for Heaux Tales, where she explained, “I think that I wrote this project to deal with my own thing… but what it ended up being was a safe space for Black women to tell their stories.”

Also, Doja Cat getting emotional as she and SZA, who hobbled to the stage on crutches due to an undisclosed injury, accepted the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More.”

“Damn, I like to down play s*** but… it’s a big deal,” Doja said as she wiped away tears. Doja nearly missed accepting the award after she stepped away to use the bathroom.

Jon Batiste — the top nominee going into the night — took home Album of the Year for We Are, in addition to winning four trophies during the pre-show.

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