16 million: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” now the RIAA’s top-certified single of all time

16 million: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” now the RIAA’s top-certified single of all time
16 million: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” now the RIAA’s top-certified single of all time
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for BET

Congratulations are in order to Lil Nas X and Ellie Goulding, because the RIAA gave them additional bragging rights on Tuesday: They respectively earned all-new Diamond and Platinum certifications.

Lil Nas X, who just recently returned to the public eye after an unexplained four-month hiatus, sees his smash hit debut single “Old Town Road” officially certified Diamond.  The Diamond certification is for 10 million units sold, but “Old Town Road” has actually sold over that amount: The RIAA has certified it for sales of 16 million.

That makes it the highest-certified song of all time, replacing the previous leaders, Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” Gotye‘s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and The Chainsmokers‘ “Closer,” all of which have been certified for sales of 14 million units.

Ellie Goulding also got some metal: Her sophomore album Halcyon is officially two-times Platinum for sales of more than two million units.  The studio effort, which dropped in October 2012, contained the hits “I Need Your Love” and “Anything Could Happen.”  The 2013 reissued version features Ellie’s four-time Platinum hit “Burn.”

Disney’s Encanto also enjoyed some love from the RIAA, with its soundtrack earning Gold certification, while two of its tracks — “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” are now Platinum.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Maren Morris’ son Hayes gets first pair of glasses: “He looks so cute”

Maren Morris’ son Hayes gets first pair of glasses: “He looks so cute”
Maren Morris’ son Hayes gets first pair of glasses: “He looks so cute”
ABC

It turns out a love of country music isn’t the only quality Maren Morris passed on to her son. 

On her Instagram Stories, Maren revealed that her and husband Ryan Hurd‘s son, Hayes, who turns two on March 23, had to get his first pair of glasses. But he’s not doing it alone. 

“Hayes had to get glasses today and the entire household is now wearing fake frames to inspire him to keep them on (I have lasik),” the singer explained, alongside a photo of her wearing a pair of faux glasses while Hayes’ can be seen in the background wearing his new specs. “It’s not working so far lol.” 

“Hayes had to get glasses today and he looks so cute but I also feel awful that I passed my awful eyesight onto him,” Maren adds on Twitter, sharing in the thread that her son has made a habit out of “ripping them off” his face.  

The singer’s post inspired other moms to chime in about their children’s experiences wearing glasses, including Cassie Kelley, wife of Lady A’Charles Kelley, who shared an adorable photo of their six-year-old son, Ward, wearing glasses as he walks down the hall at school.

“Welcome to the club!” Cassie writes below the photo, with Maren replying, “I cannot” with a crying face and praise hands emojis. 

In addition to the glasses, Hayes recently got his first pair of cowboy boots.

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Hear Five for Fighting’s ode to Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy, “Can One Man Save the World”

Hear Five for Fighting’s ode to Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy, “Can One Man Save the World”
Hear Five for Fighting’s ode to Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy, “Can One Man Save the World”
Courtesy of Five for Fighting

In his 2006 single “World,” Five for Fighting‘s John Ondrasik asked, “What kind of world do you want?” Now, in a new song, he’s asking, “Can One Man Save the World?”

In this case, that “one man” is Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, who has earned the admiration of many since the Russian invasion.  In a statement, John says, “Like so many of you, I have been inspired and in awe of Pres. Zelenskyy, his wife Olena, and the Ukrainian people since Putin’s invasion. Their courage and determination in the face of the Russian onslaught gives hope and fortitude to all freedom-loving people.”

“Who is this comedian/This steel that is Ukrainian?” John sings of Zelenskyy, who actually used to be a comedian.  “Can one man save the world/In a thousand years/will they say your name/Or is this all in vain?”

“In Zelenskyy, I sense we are witnessing a modern-day Winston Churchill, but will he get the support he desperately needs to deter Putin’s cold war ambitions?” John adds in a statement. “It makes you ask yourself: ‘Can One Man Save The World?

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Alice Cooper hosting CoopStock 2 benefit event in April, also featuring Rob Halford, Mike Mills & more

Alice Cooper hosting CoopStock 2 benefit event in April, also featuring Rob Halford, Mike Mills & more
Alice Cooper hosting CoopStock 2 benefit event in April, also featuring Rob Halford, Mike Mills & more
Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

Alice Cooper will host a star-studded charity event dubbed CoopStock 2 – Grooves and Divots on Saturday April 30, at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, that will benefit for his Solid Rock Teen Centers in Mesa and Phoenix.

The fundraiser will feature a night of music and comedy that will include performances by the shock rocker himself, as well as Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Creed‘s Scott Stapp, Collective Soul‘s Ed Roland, former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine, No Doubt drummer Adrian Young, Alice Cooper band guitarist Chuck Garric, comedian Larry the Cable Guy, comic/singer Gary Mule Deer and more.

The event also will feature performances by musicians and dancers involved with Cooper’s Teen Centers, as well as live and silent auctions.

Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers provide free music, dance, arts and vocational training programs for young people aged 12 to 20. For more details and to buy tickets to CoopStock 2, visit AliceCooperSolidRock.com.

The fundraiser will takes place after Alice wraps up his upcoming spring North American tour. The new trek kicks off this Friday, March 18 in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and is plotted out through an April 24 concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Buckcherry will open all of Cooper’s shows from a March 19 gig in Hanover, Maryland, through an April 20 performance in Seattle, while founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will serve as the support act at the final tree concerts of the tour — April 22 in Reno, Nevada; April 23 in Paso Robles, California; and the LA show.

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Jack White taps The Kills, The Afghan Wigs & more to open Supply Chain Issues tour

Jack White taps The Kills, The Afghan Wigs & more to open Supply Chain Issues tour
Jack White taps The Kills, The Afghan Wigs & more to open Supply Chain Issues tour
Paige Sara

Jack White has lined up a slew of special guests to open his upcoming Supply Chain Issues tour.

In North America, the openers include The Kills, The Afghan Whigs, JD PcPherson, July Talk, Be Your Own Pet, Briston Maroney, Chicago Batman, Cautious Clay, The Backseat Lovers and Geese. In the U.K. and Europe, White’s opening acts will include Yard Act, Larkin Poe and SONS

Visit jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates and click on “tickets” to see who’s opening for each date. You can also get VIP package information at the same location.

The Supply Chain Issues tour starts April 8 and 9 with two sold-out shows at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Theatre.  As previously reported, White’s first album of 2022, Fear of the Dawn, is out April 8, with the second one, Entering Heaven Alive, arriving July 22.

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Survey shows just 7% of movies in 2021 featured more women than men

Survey shows just 7% of movies in 2021 featured more women than men
Survey shows just 7% of movies in 2021 featured more women than men
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While women have made great strides in the movie industry in the past few years, the results of a new study shows there’s more work that needs to be done when it comes to equality. 

The annual report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University shows just 7% of the movies released in 2021 featured more women than men. The report has kept tabs of female representation in the top 100 domestic grossing films since 2002.

The study, titled “It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World” and written by the center’s executive director Dr. Martha Lauzen, shows that of the films released in 2021, 85% featured more men than women, and male characters outnumbered female by almost two to one. 

Just 31% of 2021’s box office offerings featured sole female protagonists, the study notes — and major female characters dropped from 38% in 2020 to 35% in 2021. Just 8% of the films released in 2021 featured an equal number of male and female characters, according to the report. 

Some bright spots: movies centering on sole female characters bumped up to 31% in 2021, up from 29% in 2020, and the percentage of the top-grossing films in the U.S. that featured female protagonists increased from 29% in 2020 to 31% in 2022. 

However, that news is tempered by the fact that only 34% of all speaking characters in film were female in 2021, down from 36% in 2019. What’s more, gender stereotypes still persisted onscreen in 2021: “Female characters were younger and more likely to have a known marital status than males. Male characters were more likely than females to have an identifiable occupation,” Lauzen also noted. 

“In good times and pandemic times, male characters rule in film,” she concludes.

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Brothers Osborne performing at Grammy Awards

Brothers Osborne performing at Grammy Awards
Brothers Osborne performing at Grammy Awards
ABC

The first round of Grammy broadcast performers has been announced, and one nominated country act has made the list. 

Brothers Osborne will take the stage during the 64th annual ceremony,k where they’re up for two of the night’s awards: Best Country Album, for Skeletons, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance, for “Younger Me.” 

“You won’t want to miss it…” the Brothers tease on Twitter about the performance. 

The duo performed at the Grammys for the first time in 2018, singing “Tears in Heaven” alongside Maren Morris and Eric Church as part of a tribute to the victims of the mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.

Brandi Carlile and Lil Nas X are among the other artists who will perform when the Grammy Awards air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Kelis’ husband dies of cancer at age 37

Kelis’ husband dies of cancer at age 37
Kelis’ husband dies of cancer at age 37
Leon Bennett/WireImage

Kelis’ husband, Mike Mora, has died at age 37.

The singer’s management team confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that Mora passed away of stage 4 stomach cancer.

“Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away. We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now. Thank you,” Red Light Management’s Steve Satterhwaite told ET.

Mora, a photographer, was diagnosed in September 2020. He opened up about his cancer battle in a series of posts on social media.

“You always see people post about how life is too short,” he wrote in September of last year. “How you should reach out to those you love no matter where life has taken you. It is the truth. Don’t take your time here, your time with friends, family, for granted.”

Mora and Kelis share a one-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Kelis has a 12-year-old son, Knight, with ex-husband Nas.

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Billie Eilish to perform on the Grammys next month

Billie Eilish to perform on the Grammys next month
Billie Eilish to perform on the Grammys next month
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

She already has seven Grammys at home, and Billie Eilish is coming back for more. Variety reports that she’s just been announced as one of the performers on the Grammys telecast April 3.

Billie has seven nominations this year, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, all for Happier Than Ever and its title track.

In addition, Olivia Rodrigo, who also has seven nods, will perform on the show, along with fellow nominees singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, K-pop superstars BTS, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow and country duo Brothers Osborne.

The Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah, are taking place in Las Vegas on April 3. They’ll air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.

 

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Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, BTS among first announced Grammy performers

Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, BTS among first announced Grammy performers
Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, BTS among first announced Grammy performers
Amy Sussman/FilmMagic

BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow and Billie Eilish have just been announced as the first group of artists who’ll be performing on the Grammy telecast. 

They’ll all take the stage next month, along with country duo Brothers Osborne and singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, according to Variety.

BTS is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Butter,” while Billie and Olivia each have seven nominations, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.  Olivia is also up for Best New Artist. Billie’s already won seven Grammys in her young career.

Lil Nas X, who already has two Grammys at home, has five nods, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Jack Harlow’s two nods come from his work on Nas’s Montero album.

The Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah, are taking place in Las Vegas on April 3. They’ll air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.

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