Page 7770 – 105.7 WDNY

Keith Richards, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel among stars paying tribute to the late Ronnie Spector

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A variety of famous music stars, including The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards, The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson and Billy Joel, have paid homage to legendary Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector, who died Wednesday of cancer at age 78.

Richards, who was a longtime friend of Ronnie’s and had a brief romance with her during the 1960s, wrote on his social media pages, “This is so sad. Ronnie was a very dear friend and she leaves a huge gap. How I’m going to miss that infectious laugh and that great voice! My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Wilson was a huge fan of The Ronettes’ 1963 hit “Be My Baby,” which inspired him to write “Don’t Worry Baby.” He presented “Don’t Worry Baby” to Ronettes producer Phil Spector for the group to record, but Phil turned it down, and it went on to become a hit for The Beach Boys in 1964.

Paying homage to Ronnie, Brian wrote on Twitter, “I loved her voice so much and she was a very special person and a dear friend. This just breaks my heart. Ronnie’s music and spirit will live forever.”

Accompanying the post is a YouTube video featuring footage of Ronnie visiting Brian backstage at a 2002 New York City concert. In the clip, she gushes at how much she loved “Don’t Worry Baby” and serenades a swooning Wilson.

Joel, whose classic song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was covered by Ronnie and Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band in 1977, writes, “The great Ronnie Spector has died. So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”

In addition, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan posted a video of him performing an acoustic version of the Ronettes hit “Baby, I Love You.”

Here are some other tributes to Ronnie from various well-known artists:

Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”

The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine: “So sad to hear about Ronnie.”

“Little Steven” Van Zandt: “RIP Ronnie Spector. It was an honor to Produce her and encourage her to get back on stage where she remained for the next 45 years. Her record with the E Street Band helped sustain us at a very precarious time…Condolences to her husband and family.

Southside Johnny: “She was definitely one of the high points of my teenage years, one of the high points of my touring life. When she came on stage with The Jukes the crowd went crazy. And, I got to play castanets! Who could ask for more. Rest in a groove, Ronnie.”

The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”

Darlene Love: “I’m in total shock! Did not see this one coming. Please give me time to process my thoughts to give Ronnie the proper tribute she deserves. She and I shared so much together.”

Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”

The Pointer Sisters: “Condolences to family & friends of #RonnieSpector RIP”

Paul Shaffer: “Our voice has been silenced.”

Carole King: “Rest In Peace #RonnieSpector”

Jimmy Webb: Sad to hear that #RonnieSpector left us today. #TheRonettes and Roni were a main part of the soundtrack of the early 60’s & ‘Be My Baby’ was certainly a signature song. Ronnie’s vocals rang out with her beautiful clear voice across the radio waves. Rest in power, Roni.”

COVID conflict: Critics Choice Awards rescheduled for same March 13 date as UK’s BAFTAs

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Nominees are going to have to choose between which awards show to attend this March 13, as the COVID-delayed Critics Choice Awards (CCA) has rescheduled to the same date as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) celebration.

The uptick in Omicron cases prompted the change.

In a statement, Berlin said, “We could have proceeded with our original January 9th date with limited attendance or switched to a virtual awards show like we did last year, but we decided to wait until we could safely gather in person and truly celebrate…”

CCA president Joey Berlin explained to The Hollywood Reporter of the conflict, “Our choice is to do a show on March 13 or not do a show.” Berlin noted several issues with broadcasting windows and available venues in Los Angeles led them to the new date.

Berlin explained to the trade that organizers of the BAFTAs, “were really gracious” about the situation, and explained that due to the timezone difference, the CCAs would stage a breakfast for L.A.-based BAFTA nominees so they can attend the UK-based awards show via satellite.

As previously reported, Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer will host the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards live from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles starting at 8 p.m. on CW and TBS.

Belfast and West Side Story lead this year’s Critics Choice Awards film contenders with earned eleven nominations each; HBO’s Succession leads the pack on the TV side with eight.

Say goodbye to Ronnie: Billy Joel pays tribute to iconic Ronettes singer who cut his song

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Billy Joel‘s 1976 song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was directly inspired by The Ronettes‘ “Be My Baby,” so it’s no wonder he’s paid tribute to the group’s iconic frontwoman Ronnie Spector, who died yesterday at the age of 78 after a brief battle with cancer.

“The great Ronnie Spector has died,” Billy wrote on his website. “So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”

“So many faces in and out of my life” is a lyric from “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” but in addition to being fitting words, there’s another reason why Billy quoted it: In 1977, Ronnie, backed by Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, recorded “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” herself.

Spector’s passing was also mourned by rock legends like Rolling Stone Keith Richards and The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson, as well as the E Street Band’s Little Steven Van Zandt and a number of famous female artists, including:

Cyndi Lauper, who tweeted a photo of herself with Spector and a broken heart emoji

Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”

The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”

Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”

Carole King: “Rest In Peace #RonnieSpector”

Tai Verdes imagines his final hours on the planet in new single “LAst dAy oN EaRTH”

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Tai Verdes has released a new single called “LAst dAy oN EaRTH,” in which he imagines what he’d do if he only had 24 hours to live.

“I made this song for the purpose of reflection. I want everyone to listen to this song, you know…really listen to it,” he explains. “To stop, breathe in the air, feel, think about where they are, and realize that this isn’t gonna last forever, and by ‘this’ I mean life.”

“Sometimes, life’s journey can feel long, sometimes it feels short, but we all know it’s going to end,” he adds. “It’s kind of like jumping out of a plane. We’re all in the freefall, and sometimes we just get so caught we don’t realize it.”

Tai also says it’s “time for everyone to see the world in HD,” and on Instagram, he writes that the song is the “first episode of HDTV.” Since Tai’s debut album was called TV, and his upcoming tour is called the HDTV Tour, it’s possibly that HDTV is also the title of his next project.

The tour kicks off April 19 in Santa Ana, CA and is right now scheduled to wrap up in L.A. on May 22. He’s also planning to perform at a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Lollapalooza Argentina and the U.K.’s Reading [PR: Redding] and Leeds festivals.

And if all this Tai Verdes news is making you hungry, you can order a custom Tai Verdes Bowl at Chipotle, which features the chain’s new plant-based chorizo.

Thomas Rhett’s ‘Where We Started’ gets a release date as he readies two more of its songs for release

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Thomas Rhett is fleshing out more details on Where We Started, his next album and the project that’s tied to his current single, “Slow Down Summer.”

After previously saying only that it’ll be out in spring 2022, Thomas now has an exact release date for fans: Where We Started will arrive April 1.

He also shared the cover art on social media, revealing a close-up shot of his face in sepia tones. The album’s title is written on the top right corner in bold, orange print.

Eager fans can look out for something special in mere hours, since Thomas also said he’s planning to drop not one but two songs off Where We Started on Friday at midnight. It’s still not clear what those songs might be, although TR has been sharing plenty of unreleased music on his socials over the past several months. It’s certainly possible that fans have already heard acoustic snippets of some of the songs on Where We Started.

The upcoming project is sandwiched between Country Again Side A and Side B. Thomas dropped Side A last year, and he’s planning to put out Side B in the fall.

When he first announced that Where We Started was coming out in addition to Side B, the singer told fans his wealth of new music was due to writing “so many songs” during the COVID-19 pandemic and first year back on the road.

“What we have decided to do is put out two albums next year,” he said at the time.

Giant spider? Bigfoot? Selena Gomez lists the monsters she’d be okay turning into

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ahead of the final installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise hitting the streaming world on Friday, star Selena Gomez lets fans in on what kind of monsters are cool in her book.

Speaking with Pop Sugar alongside co-star Andy Samberg, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer was grilled on the type of monsters she would rather become.

When faced with the choice of turning a loved one either into a vampire, like her character Mavis, or a mindless zombie, Selena selected the former option. “I would rather someone turn into a vampire — even if they were threatening to eat me because I don’t care,” the Grammy nominee deadpanned.

Selena would also rather be covered in hair than fish scales, noting “it would be fun to braid” her new, luscious locks. When faced with picking centaurs or mermaids as the better half-human monster, the 29-year-old selected the sea creatures because, “I love the ocean.”

Most hilariously, when posed with the question if she’d “rather turn into a skeleton that can play xylophone on its bones or just be really good at drums,” Selena wanted to become the latter because, “I think that’d be cool.”

And, finally, when forced to choose what eight-legged monster she’d rather be turned into, the Rare Beauty mogul said she’d want to become a giant spider. “I would like to be a spider,” she mused, but admitted that choosing between that and a giant kraken was “hard.”

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting Friday, January 14.

Biden heads to Capitol Hill to rally Democrats on voting rights

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden headed to Capitol Hill Thursday in an attempt to persuade Democratic lawmakers to back a major change to the Senate’s rules that would allow a pair of voting rights bills to move forward.

The trip amounts to him putting his money where his mouth is, after delivering an impassioned speech Tuesday in which he said there was “no option” except for senators to do away with the filibuster — a rule that requires 60 votes, rather than a simple majority of 50, to advance most legislation — if the bills could not be advanced another way.

“I’ve been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months,” he said Tuesday. “I’m tired of being quiet!”

The White House has said that in the wake of his speech in Atlanta — where Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris — Biden and Harris “will be working the phones over the next several days pushing members of the Senate to support voting rights legislation and changes to Senate rules.”

On Thursday, the White House said, Biden will meet with Senate Democrats “to discuss the urgent need to pass legislation to protect the constitutional right to vote” and “again underline that doing so requires changing the rules of the Senate to make the institution work again.”

But Biden faces an uphill battle transforming rhetoric into action. A pair of Democratic senators — Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — have remained intransigent in their opposition to taking such a step.

Sinema reiterated in a Senate floor speech Thursday, as Biden prepared to head to the Hill, that she would not support changing the rule.

“There’s no need for me to restate my longstanding support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role in protecting our country from wild reversals of federal policy,” Sinema said. “This week’s harried discussions about Senate rules are but a poor substitute for what I believe could have and should have been a thoughtful public debate at any time over the past year.”

“Demands to eliminate this threshold from whichever party holds the fleeting majority amount to a group of people separated on two sides of a canyon, shouting that solution to their colleagues,” she added.

With prospects of passage so uncertain even after his fiery speech, the president is risking his political capital, particularly as he struggles to get another domestic priority — his “Build Back Better” social legislation — through the Senate.

Biden has made clear this week who he thinks would be to blame if he’s unsuccessful: Republicans, who he said Tuesday were choosing the side of standing in the way of advancing civil rights if they block the bills.

And all 50 Republican senators oppose the bills, which Democrats say are needed to create national standards for making voting more accessible and to put a check on new state laws that make it more difficult for members of minority groups and others to cast their ballots.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared visibly angry Wednesday as he blasted Biden’s speech, calling it “profoundly, profoundly unpresidential.” He deemed the remarks a “rant” that “was incoherent, incorrect and beneath his office.”

When asked by ABC News about McConnell’s rebuke, Biden said: “I like Mitch McConnell. He’s a friend.”

Despite Biden’s support for a carveout to the filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Democrats planned to use existing rules to prevent Republicans from using the filibuster to block debate from starting.

House Democrats are expected to replace an existing piece of legislation — one that would not require a vote for debate to begin — with both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, allowing them to bypass Republicans’ attempts to block the legislation from debate.

“The Senate will finally debate voting rights legislation, and then every Senator will be faced with a choice of whether or not to pass the legislation to protect our democracy,” Schumer wrote in a memo to the Democratic Caucus Wednesday.

Still, Republicans will have another opportunity to block the bill from passing by filibustering before debate ends. Without changing the rules around the filibuster, the legislation will still require 60 votes to pass.

Biden, a veteran of the Senate and a self-described “institutionalist,” has undergone an evolution in his view of the filibuster during the first year as president.

In an interview in March, Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he supports bringing back the “talking filibuster,” a version of the rule that would require a senator to “stand up and command the floor” and “keep talking” in order to hold up legislation.

Biden went further during a CNN town hall in October, noting that he would be open to “fundamentally altering” the filibuster on issues of particular consequence like voting rights.

But Biden’s most definitive comments came in December while speaking with ABC News’ David Muir, saying he would support a carveout to the filibuster in order to pass the voting rights legislation if that was the “only thing” standing in the way.

“If the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed and not getting passed is the filibuster, I support making the exception of voting rights for the filibuster,” Biden told Muir.

ABC News’ Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.

America and Paul Rodgers secure publishing rights deals with Primary Wave

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Add America and founding Free/Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers to the list of artists who have recently sold off all or some of their song publishing rights to the Primary Wave Music company.

Primary Wave announced Wednesday that it had acquired the rights to the music catalogue of America co-founders Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. The multi-million-dollar deal includes rights to such enduring hits as the chart-topping “A Horse with No Name” and “Sister Golden Hair,” and the top-10 singles “Ventura Highway” and “Tin Man.”

The agreement also includes some name and likeness rights.

“We are pleased that our catalogue is now in the able hands of the good folks at Primary Wave, where the music we have created over the last 50 years will be given new attention and exposure,” says Bunnell.

As for Rodgers, his deal includes Primary Wave acquiring a stake in the Free and Bad Company catalogues, as well as “master recording income streams from both bands.”

Free is best-known for the 1970 smash “All Right Now,” while Bad Company had a string of popular songs during the 1970s that Rodgers wrote or co-wrote, including “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Shooting Star” and “Wishing Well.”

Also as part of the deal, Rodgers will create an imprint that will be distributed by the Sun Records label, which Primary Wave acquired in late 2020. Via the imprint, the singer will sign new artists and also curate compilations.

“Given [Primary Wave’s] deep knowledge of my catalogue, joining forces with them seems a natural progression, to ensure that the messages and the music live on for the fans,” Rodgers says of the deal.

‘Peacemaker’, John Cena’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ spin-off series, drops today on HBO Max

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Early Thursday morning, HBO Max debuted the first three episodes of Peacemaker, the series spinning off John Cena‘s clueless vigilante character from writer-director James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad.

Gunn surprised fans by announcing he was already at work on the show shortly after the movie wrapped. “I think it took him by surprise as well,” admits The Suicide Squad co-star Jennifer Holland, Gunn’s longtime girlfriend, who also made the jump with Cena to Peacemaker. She reprises her role as NSA agent Emilia Harcourt.

Holland explained to ABC Audio that COVID played a big part in the show’s creation. “I mean, it was immediately after we got back from…[The Suicide Squad] shoot that everything kind of started shutting down and all this craziness happened…”

She adds, “During…such a sort of unknown territory that we were in with COVID, not knowing…how long we were going to be experiencing this — it turns out a lot longer than we thought — [Gunn] just instantly started writing something to sort of soothe himself…And I think it was just kind of getting all of his emotions out about what was going on…”

In Peacemaker, Holland’s Harcourt is stuck with working with Cena’s character. Her team, it should be said, has no trouble making fun of him behind his back — and to his face.

“In general, she’s very dry and cold and sarcastic, but, you know, when it comes to Peacemaker, I think she just doesn’t care if she hurts his feelings. She feels that he deserves everything that comes at him at this point.”

“In The Suicide Squad, she was…just there to sort of facilitate the Squad’s mission,” Holland explains. “And so getting to explore the different sides of her training and abilities in the show was an absolute blast.”

Why are The Chainsmokers using doppelgängers? Their new teaser video may shed some light

January 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Chainsmokers are back — or, at least that’s what their label wants you to believe.

The EDM duo activated their TikTok last week to tease their new music, but fans soon noticed that the Alex Pall and Drew Taggart appearing in the videos were not actually them. That realization, paired with the group’s nearly three-year hiatus from the music world, caused Chainsmokers-related conspiracy theories to spread on the social media app. Some fans even wondered if we were witnessing 2022’s version of the 1969 urban legend about Paul McCartney — where some believed the Beatles legend secretly died and was replaced by a trained lookalike.

The Chainsmokers added even more fuel to the fire on Thursday in a brand new video that confirmed Alex and Drew are MIA. The post, titled “SORRY, THE CHAINSMOKERS ARE BACK,” featured their doppelgängers taking over their lives — from hanging out with their friends, controlling their social media, burning their mountains of cash and, most importantly, making music.

The promo also features people commenting on The Chainsmokers’ new appearance, with one higher up remarking, “We had to replace the original guys because they took two f****** years to make an album. But nobody knows what they really look like, so, it doesn’t matter.”

The video offers a twist at the end, with the lookalikes realizing being a Chainsmoker is a heavy burden to bear and quit, causing the label to come crawling back to the real Alex and Drew.

The video ends with the real duo celebrating their return and teasing their brand new single, “High,” which is available to pre-save now. It will be the first single from their upcoming album, which is currently dubbed TCS4.

+ More