In a time of struggle and divisiveness, Zac Brown Band is looking to music as a way to bring people together, particularly with their song “Same Boat.”
Looking at the current political landscape, frontman Zac Brown says he and his group wanted to use the uplifting song — which offers such lyrics as, “We could all believe what we believe/ And peacefully agree to disagree/ But you can’t judge a man/ Until you walk a country mile in his shoes” — as a symbol of unity.
“We wanted to make something that helped to remind people of why we’re the same, when the politics and everything wants to rip our country in half,” Zac expresses. “And I don’t buy into all that. I think we’re more resilient than that, and I think that the pendulum is going to swing.”
The Grammy winner also views music as a powerful tool to bring people from all walks of life together, serving as a healing force.
“Music is one of those great healers…[It helps] us get through things,” Zac notes. “It’s kind of the soundtrack for our lives, so when we look back, if you think of a song that you really love and you hear it, [it] takes you right back to where you were when you first listened to it, absorbed it. So music’s powerful.”
“Same Boat” is on track to become the group’s next #1 single, currently sitting at #3 on country radio.
Taylor Swift is sharing more details about her 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” which fans can hear now on her newly released rerecorded album Red (Taylor’s Version).
Speaking to E!’s Daily Pop, the Grammy winner touched upon the short film she directed to accompany the song, which starred actors Dylan O’Brien and Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink.
Taylor explained that being able to tell her story from behind the camera was a “real relief” to her, which made the moment “really special.”
“I’m so proud of it,” she said. “We really wanted to commit to creating sort of a tiny short cinematic universe for the song that the fans cared so much about. We have a 10-minute version of ‘All Too Well’ so I figured, why don’t we take this, really commit to it, expand upon it and I think it’s really beautiful how it ended up being.”
Taylor acknowledged the nostalgic undertones in both the song and short film, telling the outlet, “I think one of the nostalgic things about this for fans is going back in your life for where you were when that album came out.”
As for why the coming-of-age film is resonating with her fans, Taylor remarked, “You have one foot in childhood, one foot in adulthood, and you don’t quite know where to stand and how fragile it makes you in that moment. We go through life, we get our hearts broken.”
She says her fans aren’t the only ones experiencing flashbacks and admits, “I’m just feeling lots of nostalgic feelings but all the memories I’m feeling are with the fans over the years in concert. It’s really a celebration of that bond that we have.”
Co-founding Doobie Brothers singer/guitarists Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons have joined forces to write a new memoir about their famous band titled Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers that’s scheduled to be published on July 26, 2022.
The book features Johnston and Simmons telling the story of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s history in their own words.
Long Train Runnin’ follows The Doobie Brothers from their Northern California origins in the late 1960s, through their emergence in the early-to-mid 1970s as a popular roots-influenced hard-rock band led by Johnston, to their transformation into a soulful pop-rock group when singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald took over frontman duties later in the ’70s, to the band’s early-’80s breakup and eventual reformation with Tom back in the fold, and beyond.
Tom and Pat co-wrote the book with Chris Epting, whose previous projects include memoirs co-written with and about Hall & Oates‘ John Oates, Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen and Tesla‘s Brian Wheat.
Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers can be pre-ordered now. Special bundles featuring the book packaged with such merch as a t-shirt, a mug and a tote bag are available at the band’s official online store.
Meanwhile, The Doobie Brothers wrapped up the 2021 portion of their 50th anniversary tour in late October. A 2022 leg is scheduled to kick off on June 22 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Visit TheDoobieBrothers.com to check out the group’s full schedule.
After a season full of self-discovery, growth and, for some, overcoming COVID-19 — the four couples who made it into next week’s Dancing with the Stars season finale are JoJo Siwa, Iman Shumpert, Cody Rigsby and Amanda Kloots.
Sadly, that meant Melora Hardin and Suni Lee‘s quest for the Mirrorball Trophy came to an end following another shocking double-elimination.
While difficult to bid farewell to two talented dancers, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and Derek Hough commended the quality of this year’s competition, marveling over everyone’s improvement since day one and the individual talents they brought to the ballroom.
Despite towering over his pro dance partner Daniella Karagach, the judges praised Iman for learning how to use his height to his advantage. Hough raved following the athlete’s tango, “You debunked the myth that it’s impossible to have a beautiful frame with that height difference.” The judge also noted, “There’s a reason why you’ve come the furthest than any other NBA player, ever.”
Cody, whose DWTS journey was nearly derailed after he and pro dance partner Cheryl Burke tested positive for COVID-19 and had to perform virtually, was saluted for his improvement. Goodman remarked after Rigsby’s Argentine tango, “The first four weeks of the show, you got a 6 from me and, when I watched this, you have come so far.”
Host Tyra Banks also revealed that Burke has not competed in the finals since DWTS’ 17th season, which aired in 2013.
Siwa and Kloots, who both entered the competition with prior dance experience, were applauded for their willingness to take constructive criticism and push themselves on the ballroom floor.
For Siwa, who is the first DWTS contestant in history to compete with a same-sex partner — Jenna Johnson — the judges enjoyed how the two have learned to perform as if they “were an extension of one being.” Following their second dance, Hough also announced the two performed “the best contemporary dance we’ve ever seen on the show, ever.”
Complimenting Kloots, the judges dubbed her “the most consistent dancer” of the season. Her standout moment finally came at the end of the night, when she performed a contemporary to her late husband Nick Cordero‘s song, “Live Your Life.” Everyone was overcome with emotion and Carrie Ann marveled, “You transcended beauty and perfection. You just made something. There are no words.”
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday for its season finale at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here are the current standings:
JoJo Siwa, Nickelodeon star, with Jenna Johnson — 80/80
Amanda Kloots, The Talk co-host, with Alan Bersten — 79/80
Iman Shumpert, NBA player, with Daniella Karagach — 75/80
Cody Rigsby, Peloton instructor, with Cheryl Burke — 71/80
(NEW YORK) — Lovers of all things chocolate, dessert and Reese’s have another thing to be thankful for just in time for the holidays.
On Monday, a new Reese’s Thanksgiving Pie was announced. The sweet treat is the largest peanut butter cup ever, with a 9-inch diameter and weighing 3.4 pounds. That’s a lot of chocolate and peanut butter.
“When you bring together friends and family for Thanksgiving dinner, no table spread is complete without dessert,” said Bo Jones, senior associate brand manager at Reese’s, said in a press release. “At Reese’s, we wanted to create a dessert that everyone wants a piece of. You can thank us later.”
Social media erupted with comments ranging from people volunteering to taste test to remarks about the pie’s 7,680 calorie count. The brand notes it contains 48 servings.
Hershey’s made only 3,000 of the pies, which were available on its website for $44.99 each. All of the pies sold out within a matter of hours, according to the brand’s Facebook page.
Hershey’s, which owns the Reese’s brand, unveiled its new seasonal flavors in September, which included a new peanut brittle Reese’s peanut butter cups flavor for the 2021 holiday season and the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Yardstick, a super-sized pack with 18 full-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup packs.
Oasis has dug up previously unreleased footage of the “Wonderwall” performance from the first of the band’s two historic concerts at England’s Knebworth Festival in 1996.
The video is featured on the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release of Oasis Knebworth 1996, a new documentary that explores the significance of the Knebworth shows. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.
Oasis Knebworth 1996 premiered in theaters this past September. It’ll be released as a concert film and live album on November 19, and will be available to stream via Paramount+ that same day.
Former band mates and estranged brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are both executive producers on the film.
Three Days Grace has announced a 2022 U.S. headlining tour.
The outing begins April 19 in Huntsville, Alabama, and will run into May. “Anarchy” rocker Lilith Czar will open most of the dates, while an April 21 show in St. Augustine, Florida, will feature support from Black Veil Brides, Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills.
Tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 18, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit ThreeDaysGrace.com.
Three Days Grace’s most recent album is 2018’s Outsider, which spawned the singles “The Mountain,” “Infra-Red” and “Right Left Wrong.” Last year, they released a cover of the Gotye hit “Somebody That I Used to Know.”
Early spring will be the time of the season for British Invasion legends The Zombies to return to the U.S. for a 2022 tour.
The monthlong trek, dubbed the Life Is a Merry-Go-Round Tour, will kick off on April 1 in Orlando, Florida, and is mapped out through a May concert in Fall River, Massachusetts. The outing apparently is named after a new song by the group called “Merry Go Round” that they played at some of their most recent shows and that likely will appear on the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ forthcoming studio album.
Veteran singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano, who is the widower of late disco great Donna Summer, will be The Zombies’ special guest on the tour through an April 14 show in Knoxville, Tennessee, while singer-songwriter-pianist Jesse Lynn Madera will serve as the opening act for the rest of the trek.
Tickets and VIP packages for most of the concerts will go on sale this Friday, November 19, at 10 a.m. local time. Visit TheZombiesMusic.com/live for more information.
The Zombies’ U.S. tour will begin right after the band wraps up a stint on the 2022 Flower Power Cruise, which sets sail from Miami on March 28.
The band also has a series of 2022 U.K. shows lined up in February and early March, a Canadian trek scheduled for July, and a tour of mainland Europe set to take place in September.
A fundraiser for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., featuring Dave Chappelle that was briefly canceled following the comedian’s controversial Netflix special The Closer, has been rescheduled for next year. The event, which was shelved after students protested Chapelle’s anti-transgender comments in the Netflix show, now will be held April 22, 2022, according to Politico.com.
“We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist’s point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a ‘cancel culture’ is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the right and dignity of all of its members,” the Duke Ellington School of the Arts said in a statement. The fundraiser will raise money for a new theater to be named after Chappelle.
Halle Berry‘s new film, Bruised, which marks her directorial debut, premiered Saturday at Hollywood’s AFI Fest. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the film, about a disgraced MMA fighter’s return to the ring, was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” The Oscar winner is a longtime boxing fan, and trained for months for the starring role. “I was told a long time ago, if you’re going to be a filmmaker and tell a story, let it be something you love and something you know,” the Monster’s Ball star said. “And I feel like this is something I love and know.”
Finally, La La Anthony has revealed that she had emergency heart surgery in June. “Within a 24-hour period, they said, my heart was beating 30,000 extra beats more than the average person,” the Power star disclosed in the Self magazine November cover story. Fortunately, the procedure was a success, and Anthony’s heart rate is now normal.
(AURORA, Colo.) — Six high school students are in the hospital after they were shot at a park near their Aurora, Colorado, school, police said.
All injuries are non-life-threatening, Aurora police Chief Vanessa Wilson said at a news conference. School resource officers put a tourniquet on one victim who is in surgery, she said.
The students, who all attend Aurora Central High School, are ages 14 to 18, Aurora police said.
There are believed to be “multiple” suspects who are all at large in the wake of the shooting, which took place just north of Aurora Central High School, at Nome Park.
The shooting appeared to be a drive-by, Wilson said, adding that people may have also fled on foot.
The parents of all victims have been notified, Wilson said.
Wilson urged residents in the area to send authorities their home surveillance footage to help police with the investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
