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Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted on all charges

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(KENOSHA, Wisc.) — A Wisconsin jury has acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse on all charges in his homicide trial.

The 18-year-old fell to the ground after hearing the verdict.

Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, claiming he shot three men, two fatally, in self-defense during a 2020 protest.

A charge of violating a curfew that was imposed during the protests in Kenosha was dropped during the trial.

The charges stemmed from the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and a shooting that left 27-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz wounded.

During his testimony, Rittenhouse said he shot all three men with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle in self-defense.

“I didn’t intend to kill them. I intended to stop the people who were attacking me,” Rittenhouse repeatedly said, at one point breaking down and sobbing on the witness stand.

The chaos in Kenosha unfolded on Aug. 25, 2020, after protests erupted over a police officer shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. Riots, vandalism and looting broke out, prompting an online call for armed “patriots” to come to the city to protect lives and property.

Rittenhouse, who was then 17, answered the call to help, his attorney, Mark Richards, said. Rittenhouse, who said he was a nursing student at Arizona State University and a former firefighter EMT cadet, claimed during his testimony that his primary purpose for going to downtown Kenosha on the night of the shootings was to provide first aid to people in need.

The prosecutors’ case hinged heavily on multiple videos showing Rittenhouse shooting the unarmed Rosenbaum as well as Huber, who allegedly struck him with a skateboard twice.

Video also captured Rittenhouse shooting Grosskreutz, a trained paramedic, in the right bicep after Grosskreutz approached him with a loaded pistol.

Discovery+ launching documentary series ‘Johnny vs. Amber’

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Discovery has announced its creating a documentary series about one of Hollywood’s messiest divorces.

Johnny vs. Amber is a two-part series about the mega-hyped relationship, and eventual acrimonious split, of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

Each episode of the two-show series will see the situation from both sides. “Depp’s film will portray that he found himself married to a Machiavellian liar who would stop at nothing to protect her image,” Discovery says, “While Heard’s film explores how she married the man of her dreams only to see him turn into a violent drug-fuelled monster.”

The series will feature footage from the lawyers involved in the divorce, from people close to the pair, and from Depp and Heard’s own text exchanges. Viewers will also “examine extensive footage and audio recordings filmed by the couple themselves.”

Depp and Heard met on the set of 2011’s The Rum Diary, and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. They split a year later, and their divorce saw each star leveling abuse charges against each other.

Johnny vs. Amber will be available to watch on Discovery+ later this year.

Clare Laycock, head of entertainment at Discovery, said in a statement, “The series provides an in-depth insight into the epic battle that powered #JusticeforJohnnyDepp and #IStandWithYouAmberHeard fan campaigns and the very public High Court case that gripped us all.”

Laycock called it a, “multi-layered story into something both engrossing and horrifying.”

AJR will be basking in the “coolest compliment we could get” at 2021 American Music Awards

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

AJR is nominated in two categories at this year’s American Music Awards: Favorite Rock Artist and Favorite Pop Duo or Group. For a band that’s always straddling between different genres, being nominated as both a rock and pop act actually makes perfect sense to the Met brothers.

“I think that’s always been our mindset of trying to stay between two lines of pop and alternative or whatever it is,” Ryan Met tells ABC Audio. “We’ve always tried to stay in our own lane and keep our head down and be, like, ‘OK, what do we wanna do?,’ separate from the way the music industry sounds.”

He adds, “Honestly, it’s the coolest compliment we could get that we’re nominated for pop and rock.”

As with any award that AJR’s been up for, Ryan says he’s just surprised to be recognized at all.

“We’re constantly in a state of, ‘We don’t deserve to be anywhere,'” he shares. “It’s always crazy to get any kind of recognition for any song or what we’re doing.”

Between the two categories, AJR will compete with everyone from Foo Fighters to BTS, the latter of whom Ryan refers to as the “biggest band on planet Earth.”

Award shows also allow for the opportunity to meet some of the most legendary musicians, like when AJR had a conversation with Elton John at a recent ceremony.

“[Elton] goes, ‘Your collaboration with Justin Bieber was incredible this year!'” Ryan recalls. “Then he goes, ‘Yeah, what you guys have done for country music is just incredible!’ And so we realized he thought we were Dan + Shay, the country band.”

Ryan laughs, “We ended up taking the compliment and just being like, ‘Thank you so much!'”

Walker Hayes readies more ‘Country Stuff,’ shows “Fancy Like” fans a different side of himself with “AA”

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Walker Hayes grew his fan base by leaps and bounds this year, thanks in part to the runaway success of his viral hit, “Fancy Like.”

Filled with swagger, optimism and a hook-filled good time, “Fancy Like”’s a great introduction to Walker’s catalogue, but he’s got more to share, starting with “AA,” the new single that he put out on Friday. While it’s still upbeat, the new song digs into some darker and more personal subject matter.

“…What I really mean to say with this song is just that I’m trying to stay the course,” Walker reflects. “I’ve struggled with alcohol abuse and sometimes I wish I didn’t need AA, but I do. I think a lot of people can relate to that.”

In addition to dropping “AA,” Walker announced this week that he’s expanding his Country Stuff EP into a full-length project, arriving on January 21. The track list will feature the songs included on the EP, such as “Fancy Like,” plus several new tunes and a re-imagined version of the singer’s fan-favorite “Craig,” sung as a duet with Christian act MercyMe.

“I’ve been waiting so long to put out a project like this,” Walker says. “It has everything I love from the fun of ‘Fancy Like’ to the more personal lyrics in ‘AA.’ As an artist, it’s such a unique thing to be able to share all the different versions of you in a project, and that’s really what I tried to do here.”

The singer’s also bringing his new material to the stage on The Fancy Like Tour, which launches in late January 2022.

Gwen Stefani, Darren Criss and more to ring in the holidays during ‘Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade’

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

With the holidays fast approaching, the wonderful world of Disney unveiled its star-studded lineup for this years’ Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade. Gwen Stefani, Pentatonix and Darren Criss are among the many performers who will help Disney kick off its legendary parade on December 25.

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ABC, giving kids ample time to unwrap all the presents under the tree before the celebration begins.

Darren will perform his bouncy new holiday song, “Christmas Dance,” while Pentatonix will sing “I Saw Three Ships” in their signature a cappella style. Norah Jones will also be part of the festivities and will serenade us with her reimagined, jazzed-up version of Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run.”

Gwen will close out this year’s parade by saluting the unsung heroes of Christmas with her new track, “Cheer for the Elves.”

This year’s parade will be extra special, as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort’s grand opening. The route will travel through the resort and, interspersed between the performances, the company will share teasers of all the new attractions arriving in 2022, such as Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which opens March 1. The audience will also be treated to some behind the scenes look at the new movies Encanto and Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story.

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade airs Saturday, December 25, at 10 a.m. ET until 12 p.m. ET on ABC.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Soulja Boy removed from The Millennium Tour due to beef with the late Young Dolph

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

oulja Boy has been removed from the last two shows on The Millennium Tour this weekend because of his beef with the late Young Dolph. Promoter G-Squared Events made the decision because of the possibility of a retaliation against Soulja Boy,

“In response to the tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph, The Millennium Tour 2021 Tour promoter, G-Squared Events, has determined that rapper Soulja Boy will not perform during this weekend’s tour stops in St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee,” the promoter posted on the company’s Facebook page.

Soulja responded to the announcement, writing on Instagram, “I’m still getting paid what him dying got do with me? I’m tryna see my fans.”

The answer? Earlier this month, Dolph and Soulja Boy dissed each other on social media, Soulja saying, “Ain’t you the n**** getting shot at 100 times? “Ain’t you the n**** getting popped and shot at all the time? F*** Young Dolph.” The “Crank That” rapper was referencing when Dolph’s car was shot at over 100 times in 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Then on Wednesday, the day Dolph was fatally shot, Soulja faced released “Stretch Some,” which many believed was a Dolph diss track. Also, as previously reported, a man was shot on Thursday afternoon near the site of a memorial for Dolph in Memphis. Police said Friday three men have been arrested, according to ABC Memphis affiliate WATN-TV. Terrance Jones, 23, 19-year-old Jailon Nelvis and Tavis McQueen, 22, are each charged with aggravated assault, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, theft, and more in that shooting.

Authorities are still searching for suspects in death of Young Dolph, who died Wednesday after being shot outside of the Makeda’s Cookie shop in Memphis.

Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey announces as ’Variety’ Hitmakers honorees

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey are among the 2021 Variety Hitmakers honorees.

The media company’s annual award ceremony celebrates the “writers, producers, publishers, managers and executives who helped make — and break — the 25 most consumed songs of the year.”

Eilish and her brother/collaborator, FINNEAS, will receive the Film Song of the Year award for their James Bond theme “No Time to Die,” while Del Rey will be honored with the Decade Award in celebration of the 10th anniversary of her debut single, “Video Games.”

The Variety Hitmakers issue will be released December 2, followed by the in-person ceremony taking place December 4.

Watch Tony Iommi react to having prehistoric fossil named after him

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Tony Iommi has been rocking for a long time, but not for nearly as long as the fossil that’s been named after him.

As previously reported, a team of scientists announced last month that they’d discovered a 469 million-year-old fossil, which they deemed Drepanoistodus iommii in honor of the Black Sabbath legend. Now, in a video for Westside BID in his hometown of Birmingham, England, Iommi has shared his reaction to the news.

“It was a real shock to hear that a fossil’s been named after me,” Iommi says. “I’ve had a bit of abuse from my friends about it who’ve enjoyed calling me an old fossil, but I think it’s great, a real honor.”

“This has to be the weirdest thing that’s ever been named after me,” he adds. “But I’m really proud of it.”

The clip also features Iommi posing with a photo of the fossil on the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham, as well as a video call with scientist Mats E. Eriksson, a member of the discovery team.

“I wanted to thank Mats and his team in person for being such brilliant fans,” Iommi says.

Joe Jonas say he’s most scared of wife Sophie Turner’s segment on ‘Jonas Brothers Family Roast’

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Jonas Brothers aren’t exactly sure what to expect when they get roasted on Netflix’s upcoming Jonas Brothers Family Roast, but there’s one spouse who they’ve been warned about: Sophie Turner.

Turner, who’s been married to Joe since 2019, apparently has such a good set of insults planned for her husband that he’s been told to be prepared.

“I’ve heard rumors of what Sophie has planned for, you, Joe,” Kevin told E! News’ Daily Pop, before Joe chimed in, “It’s never good when comedians that are helping us come up to me and are like ‘Oh man, good luck, brother.’ That’s not what I want to hear before this thing!”

Nick added that he’s already preparing for the roast’s aftermath, revealing, “I definitely booked therapy for Monday morning.”

In addition to the one-hour comedy special, which is filled with sketches, games, songs and special guests, the JoBros are looking forward to some time off now that they’ve wrapped up their Remember This tour.

“But certainly not a full break hiatus like the last time when we broke up,” Nick clarified. However, Kevin is waiting to see how the roast goes before making any decisions about their future.

“Talk to us after the show,” he joked.

The Jonas Brothers Family Roast airs Tuesday, November 23 on Netflix.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss announce 2022 tour dates supporting just-released album, ‘Raise the Roof’

November 19, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant‘s new collaborative album with acclaimed country-bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raise the Roof, got its release today. Coinciding with its arrival, the duo has announced plans for a 2022 tour, their first outing together in 12 years.

Plant and Krauss have confirmed 10 U.S. dates, kicking off June 1 in Canandaigua, New York and running through a June 16 concert in Atlanta. Those shows will be followed by a European trek that’s mapped out from a June 26 performance in London’s Hyde Park through a July 21 date in Berlin.

Tickets for the U.S. concerts go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 3, while a series of pre-sale offers will be available starting Monday, November 29.

Check out the duo’s tour schedule and buy tickets at PlantKrauss.com.

As previously reported, Plant and Krauss will celebrate Raise the Roof‘s release today with a special livestream performance that’s set to premiere at both Robert’s and Alison’s YouTube channels starting at 1 p.m. ET. It will feature the debut performances of several of the album’s songs from Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville.

The duo also is scheduled to appear tonight on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Saturday on CBS Saturday Morning.

Raise the Roof is Plant and Krauss’ second joint album, following 2007’s Grammy-sweeping Raising Sand. The record is primarily a covers collection paying tribute to “legends and unsung heroes of folk, blues, country and soul music,” although it does include one original called “High and Lonesome” that Plant co-wrote with producer T Bone Burnett.

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