Just a reminder that the “MusiCares: Music on a Mission” virtual benefit event, which will feature a previously unseen performance by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, will be livestreamed tonight, March 30, at 8 p.m. ET on the Mandolin platform.
The fundraiser, which is being presented by the MusiCares organization in partnership with the Gibson company, will feature various never-before-seen performances by various artists, including k.d. lang, Brandi Carlile, Shawn Colvin, Jason Isbell, Cage the Elephant, Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums, Jason Isbell, Fantastic Negrito, and many more, including the aforementioned Petty and his group.
The event will celebrate both the power of music and legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, who is being honored as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year at a star-studded gala taking place on Friday, April 1, in Las Vegas. All proceeds from ticket sales for the “Music on a Mission” show will go to in-need members of the music community. General admission tickets cost $25; visit Mandolin.com for more info.
Petty’s performance with The Heartbreakers comes from the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which honored Tom. Petty died in October 2017 at age 66.
The first “Music on a Mission” virtual event was held last year in place of the MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At any point in our lives, if we have encountered American Buffalo, most actors go, ‘When can I get my hands on that?'” Darren Criss tells ABC Audio. And after a two-year pandemic delay, he’s getting his turn — with Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in the much-anticipated revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, now playing at New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre.
The play focuses on the hardscrabble lives of three hustlers looking to secure their slice of the sometimes-broken American Dream: Donny, played by Fishburne; Teach, played by Rockwell; and Bobby, played by Criss. It features themes of loyalty, friendship, trust, suspicion…and lots of four-letter words.
“I think this play was the first play that kind of used this kind of language and explored this kind of world,” Fishburne says, reflecting on the original 1975 production. “As young actors here in New York, we were all excited about it and the chance to do it at some point.”
Over the years, the spotlight role of Teach has been played by Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, William H. Macy, and, in the 1996 movie version, Dustin Hoffman. In 2022, all eyes are on Rockwell.
“I’m gonna go really ‘Don Knotts‘ on this one! I’m gonna go in the other direction!” Rockwell jokes with ABC Audio about his approach to the role. “We’ll see what happens you know? I’m bringing a mustache so far.”
Whatever his spin, director Neil Pepe says it’s bound to leave an impact, noting that Rockwell “has such an innate sense of what the character is, but also can grab the language and is kind of ferocious about going after it.” Pepe adds, “To have him in this role is just a gift.”
American Buffalo is now playing for a limited engagement.
(NEW YORK ) — Eve Wilkowitz was 20 years old in 1980 when she was kidnapped, raped and strangled to death after she took a train home to Bay Shore, New York, from her secretarial job in Manhattan. Her body was found near her apartment on Long Island.
On Wednesday, Suffolk County police and prosecutors announced the killer was a man who died of cancer in 1991 and who had lived near the spot where Wilkowitz’s body was found three days after she never came home.
Investigators relied on advances in DNA technology to identify the suspect as Herbert Rice, who was 29 at the time.
“We’ve solved the 42 year old homicide case of Eve Wilkowitz,” Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced at a news conference. “This was a study in persistence, in determination to work the case no matter what.”
Investigators relied on genetic genealogy, which has been used to help solve a number of cold cases across the country. It enabled police and the FBI to submit the DNA left on Wilkowitz’s body to consumer DNA databases that include countless people outside the criminal justice system.
A match was established through a relative of Rice. Investigators exhumed Rice’s body and compared DNA from his remains to the sample recovered from the initial rape kit, establishing him as the suspect.
Wilkowitz’s sister, Irene, thanked the investigators and recalled, through tears, when detectives knocked at her door with a message: “We’ve identified the person responsible for the death of Eve.”
“She never got to fulfill her dreams,” Irene Wilkowitz said of her sister.
Rice had three convictions for minor crimes that were ineligible for taking a DNA sample at the time.
“These types of investigations are never easy, but the relentless work and partnership helped us bring closure to the Wilkowitz family,” Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said.
Winter isn’t coming, but dragons are. HBO tweeted that August 21 will be the debut date for its anticipated HBO Max Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.
Based on George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood book, set hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is a deep dive into the history of GoT‘s House Targaryen, ancestors of Game of Thrones‘ tragic heroine, Daenerys Targaryen, who was played by Emilia Clarke.
The show centers on a brutal familial civil war that erupted over control of the legendary Iron Throne.
To that end, HBO also revealed new photos of some of the cast in character, including: Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen; Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen; Olivie Cooke as Alicent Hightower; Rhys Ifans as Alicent’s father, Otto Hightower; Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon; Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.
Known for his signature Grammy-winning 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This,” the rapper born Stanley Kirk Burrell quickly made a name – and a dance – for himself that would cement him as one of the most unforgettable musical artists of the 90s.
In honor of the rapper’s 60th birthday on Wednesday, many of his fellow celebrity friends sent well wishes and kind words, and some even took Hammer on a trip down memory lane.
Legendary singer Anita Baker sent birthday wishes on Twitter, saying, “YES That Attitude of Gratitude/Energy, radiates from you, my friend. Happy Born Day.”
The iconic Rick Jamesreached out on Twitter, reminiscing about “U Can’t Touch This” and the fact that Hammer sampled James’ “Super Freak” in the hit song.
“I remain the #1 Rick James Fan !!!! Salute Thank You,” Hammer replied.
The custom card art account Millburg cards shared an image of a then-six-year-old Hammer, to which he replied with a personal anecdote about his younger years. “My 83 year old mother reminded me that I had a job in 1968 … 6 years old working with the ice cream truck man … A few years later your Honorary Oakland A’S Vice President. Working all my life,” he said.
In the early morning hours Wednesday, Hammer posted a celebratory video, thanking those who wished him a happy birthday. “I’m blessed, I got no complaints…I’m grateful,” he said.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
It appears we might get not only a new song from Harry Styles this week — we might get a brand-new music video, too!
The Grammy winner shared a dizzying clip of his upcoming single, “As It Was,” on Wednesday, which shows him wearing the same sparkling red bodysuit seen when he first began teasing his new music earlier this week. In the new clip, Harry sits on the floor as he spins as if on an invisible record player, then looks directly at the camera before the screen cuts to black.
The nine-second clip doesn’t tease any lyrics, but it does reveal the tempo and a bit of the song’s apparently upbeat melody. The snippet also includes a few keyboard notes reminiscent of 80s pop music.
“As It Was,” which comes out April 1, is the first single from the singer’s forthcoming album, Harry’s House. The album, which is the followup to 2019’s Fine Line, is now available for pre-save and will hit stores on May 20.
(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) — Oklahoma and Arizona became the latest states to impose transgender sports bans Wednesday.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law banning transgender women and girls from competing on women and girls sports teams in state public K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
“When it comes to sports and athletics, girls should compete against girls. Boys should compete against boys. And let’s be very clear: that’s all this bill says,” the Republican governor said Wednesday at the bill signing, despite the bill’s exclusion of trans girls.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill that will ban trans girls from playing sports aligning with their gender identity in all public schools and any private schools that compete against them. Ducey also signed a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth.
There has been “no direct or consistent research” that shows that trans people have an advantage over cisgender peers in athletics, according to a Sports Medicine journal review of several research studies on potential advantages.
Supporters of the bill disagree.
“This legislation simply ensures that the girls and young women who have dedicated themselves to their sport do not miss out on hard earned opportunities, including their titles, standings and scholarships due to unfair competition,” Ducey said in a statement on the bill.
ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Tamya Cox-Touré slammed the bill, saying that the state was harming a small and vulnerable population “while overlooking the real issues with gender equality in sports when it comes to funding, resources, pay equity, and more.”
“Promoting baseless fears about trans athletes does nothing to address those real problems,” Cox-Touré continued in a statement. “Ultimately, SB2 violates the United States Constitution and federal civil rights law, puts Oklahoma at risk of losing federal funding, and harms transgender youth, all to solve a problem that does not exist.”
Several major athletic organizations, including NCAA, the Olympics and the governing bodies for U.S. national sports leagues, allow transgender women to compete against cisgender women.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that trans youth often report feeling isolated and excluded in academic environments. That discrimination puts them at increased risk for poor mental health, suicide, substance abuse, violence and other health risks.
Welcoming school environments that prohibit bullying and harassment in schools have been linked to positive outcomes for these students, according to research in The American Journal of Public Health.
“This legislation offers a solution to a problem that simply does not exist in Oklahoma, but the harm it will cause transgender and nonbinary youth is very real,” said Casey Pick, a senior fellow at the LGBTQ suicide awareness organization The Trevor Project.
The Oklahoma law, called the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” will go into effect immediately.
Oklahoma and Arizona joined several other states in banning trans students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity. Among those instituting bans are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
Just days before Stitt signed the bill, Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a similar bill and sent an impassioned letter against it to state legislators. The Republican-controlled legislature later voted to override his veto.
He stated that only four trans students are playing sports in Utah, with only one athlete in girls’ sports, and they are not unfairly dominating.
Cox said the high rates of mental health challenges transgender youth face due to discrimination influenced his decision to veto.
“Four kids who are just trying to find some friends and feel like they are a part of something. Four kids trying to get through each day,” Cox said.
He added, “Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live.”
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, also vetoed a transgender sports bill and is now facing attempts from the legislature to override his decision.
The sentimental way Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd stay connected while on the road will make your heart melt.
Seeing as the “Chasing After You” singers are both touring artists, their hectic schedules often keep them apart. When they’re on tour in separate cities, the country couple has a unique, yet romantic way they keep each other close at heart.
“When he’s touring and I’m touring, we’re usually in different cities every night. So I always make him leave me one of his T-shirts. It smells like his cologne and skin and I can sleep in it when I’m on my bus,” Maren describes to Mo Heart on The Walk Inof her husband’s sweet gesture.
As for how long the scent lasts, the country superstar says the shirt will usually get her through a week of touring. “Then it’s laundry day and he can just give me another one,” she jokes.
Maren and Ryan married in a Nashville ceremony in 2018 and welcomed their first child, son Hayes Andrew, in March 2020.
In the first-ever interview since the unfortunate news of Traci Braxton‘s passing, her sister Toni Braxton opens up about how she’s coping with the untimely loss.
“I wake up every morning and I go, ‘Did I dream it? Did I dream it?'”, the 54-year-old singer said on Tuesday’s episode of the Tamron Hall Show. “and I have to remind myself ‘No, she’s gone but she’s been here with us for 50 years.’ So I try to relish in that moment and try to smile about it.”
Toni, the eldest of the five Braxton sisters, confirmed Traci’s death on Instagram earlier this month, sharing a black-and-white photo of the family along with a note that reads in part, “Traci passed this morning as the snow was falling, our angel is now a snowflake.”
Detailing Traci’s last moments, Toni says her sister was surrounded by loved ones.”We were all there. Her son was there, husband was there, everyone was there. Her best friends were there,” she said.
Though Toni “misses her sister every day” she also says she and her family are “just very fortunate to have had my sister with us for as long as we did.”
Traci Braxton died following a battle with esophageal cancer. She was 50 years old.
Gov’t Mule fans are probably experiencing some heavy blues over the news that the veteran jam band has had to postpone all of its April tour dates because frontman Warren Haynes recently suffered a shoulder injury that will put him out of commission for a while.
“While on vacation in Costa Rica with my family this past weekend, I slipped on a wet surface and landed very hard on my shoulder,” Haynes reveals in a note posted on Mule.net. “Upon arriving back to the States and seeing a specialist, it’s been confirmed that I fractured my scapula. Unfortunately, this means that Gov’t Mule’s Spring Tour, which was set to begin next Wednesday, must be postponed.”
The ex-Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist adds, “I’m truly heartbroken and so very sorry that this happened. I don’t think anyone was more excited to get back out on the road than I was. We’re working to reschedule these tour dates and will have updates as soon as possible. The doctors are confident that my shoulder will be healed in time for Mule to hit the road this summer, as planned.”
In all, 14 Gov’t Mule shows have been postponed, spanning from an April 6 concert in Syracuse, New York, through an April 30 performance in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The next date on the band’s schedule is a June 3 show in Haynes’ hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.
Visit Mule.net for the band’s full itinerary. Gov’t Mule’s latest album, Heavy Load Blues, was released in November 2021. A deluxe version of the record, the band’s first-ever full-fledged blues project, is due out via digital formats this Friday, April 1.
