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Don’t expect “The Carlton”: ‘Bel-Air’ reboot promises a lot more drama than ‘Fresh Prince’

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Peacock has released the first trailer for its Will Smith-produced reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the show, titled simply Bel-Air, looks quite different from the sitcom that spawned it. In fact, it goes to some pretty dark places.

According to the streaming platform, “…inspired by Morgan Cooper’s viral trailer that reimagined the iconic, culture-defining ‘90s sitcom, Bel-Air takes a fresh and raw approach to this world of swagger, style, and aspiration, while exploring Will’s complex journey through a current lens.”

The new series features newcomer Jabari Banks as Will. South Philadelphia, born and raised, as the original theme song describes, Will is moved by his mom to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in the ritzy Los Angeles Bel-Air neighborhood to keep him safe from the Philly streets.

But unlike the original’s opening, this Will has more to contend with than just a couple of guys up to no good making trouble in his neighborhood. Instead, Will gets busted on a gun charge after carrying the weapon to keep him safe following a basketball court fight.

Banks’ Will has his eyes opened by his wealthy relatives’ life, but there seems to be more beneath the surface. “I hope one day we can talk about why you’re really here,” Olly Sholotan says as his cousin, Carlton.

The series also stars Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil, Cassandra Freeman as Will’s Aunt Vivian, and Coco Jones and Akira Akbar, respectively, as Will’s cousins Hilary and Ashley.

Bel Air debuts Super Bowl Sunday, February 13 on Peacock.

Fergie congratulates her ex, Josh Duhamel, on his engagement

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Fergie showed that things are apparently cordial between her and her ex-husband, Josh Duhamel, after the actor announced he’s about to tie the knot with his new love.

The Transformers star announced on Saturday that he proposed to his girlfriend of two years, former Miss World America Audra Diane. “It’s on!!,” he said when sharing the happy news, “She found a message in a bottle that washed ashore and said YES!!”

Fergie was quick to send her well wishes, writing “Congrats!!!” and spamming seven green heart emojis in the comment section.

The “Big Girls Don’t Cry” singer married Josh in 2009 and welcomed a son, Axl, who is now eight. The two parted ways in 2017 and announced in a joint statement, “With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year.” Fergie filed for divorce in 2019.

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Country artists react to Bob Saget’s death: “Completely heartbroken”

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The country music community is paying tribute to Bob Saget in the wake of his passing.

The beloved comedian and Full House star was found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida on Sunday. He was 65. No cause of death has been released but police say there was no sign of foul play or misadventure.

Jordan Davis, Cole Swindell and Mickey Guyton are among those who turned to social media to share their grief. “Damn…RIP @bobsaget…Thats sad,” Jordan wrote on Twitter.

“Completely heartbroken over Bob Saget. Sending love to his family,” adds Mickey, with a heartbroken emoji.

Mitchell Tenpenny shared a personal story of when he and Jimmie Allen met Saget when he was host of the CMT show Nashville Squares in 2019. “He was so kind to us and most of all very funny. He took extra time to make us feel special and I’ll never forget that,” Mitchell writes, alongside a photo of the three on set. “RIP to a legend.”

Cole also shared a photo of himself posing with Saget, sharing on Instagram Stories, “So sad to hear the news. You just never know..hard to believe. Thinking of all his family and friends tonight..”

Meanwhile, Travis Denning reflected on Saget’s impact on his childhood in the role of patriarch Danny Tanner on Full House. ”RIP Bob Saget. Full House was such a part of my upbringing, same for a million others,” Travis says.

In addition to his breakout role on Full House that ran on ABC from 1987-1995, Saget was the longtime host of America’s Funniest Home Videos from 1989-1997. He was in the midst of a stand-up comedy tour when he passed.

Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die” Bond theme wins Golden Globe

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Billie Eilish‘s James Bond theme “No Time to Die” won the Best Original Song — Motion Picture award at the 2022 Golden Globes.

The track, which Eilish co-wrote with her brother and collaborator, FINNEAS, previously won Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2021 Grammys. It’s also on the shortlist to be nominated for Best Original Song at the 2022 Oscars.

Eilish first released “No Time to Die” in February 2020 ahead of the film’s then-imminent release. However, it was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic before finally premiering in the fall of 2021.

The 2022 Golden Globe took place Sunday with a “private event,” and winners were announced via Twitter and press releases. The long-running show, which is conducted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, came under fire in the past year after a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed the HFPA hadn’t included a Black member in 20 years, and accused it of other unethical behavior. It was subsequently dropped by its broadcast partner, NBC.

Birthday boy Rod Stewart to give original songs “a rest,” plans big band and country projects

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Starting in 2013, Rod Stewart has been on a songwriting roll that has seen him release multiple albums full of original songs, including his latest one, 2021’s The Tears of Hercules. But Rod says he’s now ready to put his own pen down for a bit and go back to covering classic tunes.

Asked if he spent lockdown writing more songs for a follow-up to The Tears of Hercules, Rod — who turns 77 today — tells ABC Audio, “No, no, no, I think I’m gonna give it a rest now, ’cause I made, I didn’t realize, four albums in eight years! You know…that’s a lot of songs. I don’t wanna, you know, flood the market with my songs.”

Instead, Rod says he’s working on not one but two albums that will see him singing other people’s songs.

“I’m making a big band album at the moment of all the great songs from the ’40s to follow on from The Great American Songbook,” he says, referring to his successful string of standards albums. “And I’m also going to put a country album together and make it duets with all female duettees.”

Asked if he could reveal which women might be joining him for those duets, Rod laughs and says, “Not yet, it’s much too early — but they’re all lined up!”

The Tears of Hercules features the single “One More Time.” Rod is scheduled to kick off an Australian tour in March, proceeded by two shows in Florida next month. He’ll return to Las Vegas in May for his ongoing residency at Caesars Palace. His 2022 schedule also includes a late-summer North American tour with Cheap Trick and a fall U.K. trek. Of course, all these plans might be upended by COVID, so stay tuned.

Selena Gomez takes out full-page ad in ‘The New York Times’ to thank her Rare Beauty team

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When she decided to thank the people who work with her on her Rare Beauty cosmetics line, Selena Gomez went big.

The singer and actress took out a full-page ad in the Sunday New York Times’ Styles section to publish an open letter, in which she gives props to her team for “all your hard work in making the brand such a beloved part of our community.” Rare Beauty launched in September of 2020.

Selena wrote, “If you’re wondering why you’re seeing this letter in the New York Times, it’s because I wanted to give your accomplishments the platform they deserve…Rare Beauty is so much more than just one person.”

“My goal with Rare Beauty was to launch a brand that helped shape the dialogue around the beauty of self-acceptance and embracing your uniqueness — something that has been desperately needed in the beauty space,” she wrote. “The heart of this brand is in recognizing that we’re not meant to look a certain way, and that we’re all unique and different and that’s something that should be celebrated.”

Selena then went on to specifically thank the team for “making an impact” with the Rare Impact Fund, which aims to raise more than $100 million over the next 10 years to deliver mental health resources to underserved areas. So far, it’s donated $1.2 million.

Selena also thanked the team for “building a community,” for “prioritizing mental health in the workplace,” and, “of course, for developing an amazing line of vegan, cruelty-free products for all to feel good in.”

She concluded, “With over 200 products at Sephora locations…and 16 awards and counting — there’s no stopping us!”

You can read the full letter on Selena’s Instagram.

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Zendaya warns fans ahead of ’Euphoria’ season 2 premiere

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Before Euphoria‘s long-awaited season two premiered on Sunday, Zendaya issued a short warning to viewers.

“I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences,” the actress, who stars in the teen drama, wrote in an Instagram post just hours before the HBO Max series aired.

“This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support,” Zendaya continued. “All my love, Daya.”

Euphoria follows “a group of high-school students as they navigate a mine field of drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship in today’s increasingly unstable world,” as described by HBO Max. The show’s first season debuted in 2019.

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Man arrested after making bomb threat at Doja Cat concert

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

How far would you go to see a free Doja Cat concert? One fan’s scheme to get into a free show by the singer over the weekend in Indianapolis, IN ended up with his arrest.

The Indianapolis Star reports that just before 5pm on Saturday, concertgoers lined up for first-come, first-served entry into Monument Circle, where the show — part of AT&T’s Playoff Playlist Live concert series — was being held. But when one fan attempted to jump the line by claiming he had a bomb, he was taken into custody.

“A fan wanted to advance in line so he exercised very poor judgment and told those around him in line he had a bomb in his backpack,” Deputy Chief Joshua Barker told the paper. “Someone did the right thing and alerted IMPD. The backpack was clean.”

In a Twitter message, police later revealed that the man had “unrelated outstanding warrants and was promptly arrested for those.”

The show, which also included AJR, was part of the festivities surrounding the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday.

Nicole Scherzinger announces cancellation of Pussycat Dolls reunion tour

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Sorry, Pussycat Dolls fans. Nicole Scherzinger has announced that their reunion tour is canceled amid spikes in COVID-19 cases.

According to Us Weekly, the Masked Singer judge took to Instagram Stories on Friday and shared, “Thank you to everyone who had tickets to see PCD — we are so appreciative of your support and loyalty. With the ever-evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic, I understand the decision that the tour dates had to be canceled.”

“I have invested a huge amount of time, creative energy and my own finances into bringing this project back to life,” continued Scherzinger, 43, “and while I’m naturally incredibly saddened by this decision, I am also very proud of what we achieved in the short amount of time we had together before COVID,”

“I can’t put into words the amount of love, admiration and gratitude I have for the other girls in the group, and the fans that have supported us,” she added, referencing her fellow group members “Stay safe and health — Love and blessings.”

The announcement not only shocked fans but apparently also the other members of the group, which includes Jessica Sutta, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyatt.

In a joint statement, Carmit and Jess responded, “We want to say how incredibly disappointed we are to learn of an announcement made on Instagram that the Pussycat Dolls reunion tour is canceled. As of now, there has been no official notification of that. Either way, it seems as though it’s the end of a chapter to an incredible, life-altering experience full of some awesome memories that we will forever be grateful for.”

“This tour may have come to an end but it is not the end of the Dolls story,” they added. “We created a sisterhood that will live on.”

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In Brief: Oprah planning Sidney Poitier project; ‘Drive My Car’ revs up Society of Film Critics Awards, and more

January 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Following Sidney Poitier‘s death on Friday at the age of 94, Deadline reports that Apple is in the middle of filming a documentary on the Oscar-winning actor with Oprah Winfrey executive-producing and House Party helmer Reginald Hudlin directing. The project, which has been in production for more than a year, is an in-depth examination of Poitier’s life that includes the participation of his family. The doc will be an Apple Original Films release. Poitier became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. His other credits include 1967’s groundbreaking film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night…

Drive My Car was the big winner at Saturday’s National Society of Film Critics ceremony. Along with best picture, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s sweeping drama also won for director, screenplay and best actor, for Hidetoshi Nishijima. Other winners included Penélope Cruz, who copped Best Actress honors for Parallel Mothers. The Best Supporting Actress trophy went to Ruth Negga for Passing, and Anders Danielsen Lie walked off with the Best Supporting Actor award for The Worst Person in the World. Drive My Car also won top honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle. The complete winners list can be found on the National Society of Film Critics website…

Dwayne Hickman, best known for playing the titular character in the 1950-60s sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, died of complications related to Parkinson’s disease on Sunday, his public relations head Harlan Boll tells Variety. He was 87 years old. The first major television series to feature teenagers as its primary characters, Dobie Gillis established Hickman a cultural icon for ’50s and 60s Baby Boomers. Prior to that, Hickman appeared in 1940’s The Grapes of Wrath, and TV’s The Bob Cummings Show. During the 70s, he became a network executive at CBS and directed various episodes of different half-hour comedies. Hickman produced and starred in a 1988 reunion of his classic sitcom titled, Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis, and also had co-starring roles in A Night at the Roxbury, Saving Gilligan’s Island, and a recurring role in UPN’s Clueless…

Lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who along with her husband, Alan Bergman, became one-half of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated songwriting duos, died peacefully early Saturday morning in her Los Angeles home, family rep Ken Sunshine tells The Hollywood Reporter. She was 93. Bergman’s work includes the Oscar-wining songs “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “Nice ’n’ Easy” and “The Way We Were, as well as “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” Legendary crooner Tony Bennett remembered the duo’s work and Marilyn on Saturday, tweeting, “Marilyn and Alan Bergman with Michele Legrand wrote my favorite song, ‘How Do You Keep the Music Playing?’ We lost Marilyn today, but her music keeps playing”…

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