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Adele’s ‘30’ becomes first album in over a year to sell a million copies in the U.S.

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Adele continues to make history with her long-awaited album 30, which is now the first album in over a year to sell over a million copies in the United States. The last artist who enjoyed such a feat was Taylor Swift following her July 2020 release of folklore.

Billboard adds 30 surpassed the million-sales milestone in less than a month. The album was released on November 19 and the outlet reports that 692,000 copies flew off the shelves in its first week alone. Fans snatched up an additional 225,000 copies the following week.

Sales encompass all CD, vinyl LP, cassette and digital album download purchases.

It should also be noted that, while Adele sold over a million copies in just a few weeks, it took Taylor’s folklore almost three months to sell that many copies.

Billboard notes that it’s become even harder for artists to sell that many albums thanks to the rise of streaming. They say only three other albums have achieved powerhouse sales since 2019: the soundtrack to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s A Star Is Born, Harry Styles‘ Fine Line, and Billie Eilish‘s debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

Rob Thomas teaming with Bebe Winans for Christmas song-themed Instagram Live on Wednesday

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Sure, you’ve heard Rob Thomas‘ “Small Town Christmas” by now, but if you want to find out more about his latest album Something About Christmas Time, tune into Instagram Live tomorrow when he plans to spotlight another track on the album.

Rob will be joined by gospel music great Bebe Winans on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET to discuss “That Spirit of Christmas,” the song they recorded together for Rob’s album. The holiday tune, originally recorded by Ray Charles in 1985, is famously featured during the attic scene in the 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

As for how Bebe ended up on Rob’s album in the first place, Rob told ABC Audio that the gospel star has been one of his best friends for more than 20 years — Bebe even sang at his 1999 wedding to his wife Marisol.

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Starz renews ‘Power Book II: Ghost’, Boyz II Men musical, and more

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Power Book II: Ghost has been renewed for a third season on Starz with production set to commence in early 2022. The series features Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige as Monet Stewart Tejada, Cliff “Method Man” Smith as Davis McLean, and Larenz Tate as Rashad Tate. Season two premiered Sunday, November 21 and continues Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

“The continued success and cultural resonance of the Power Universe is unprecedented, and fans are clearly still hungry for more Power Book II: Ghost,” Jeffrey Hirsch, President and CEO at Starz, said in a statement. “We’re excited for the third season of the star-studded series to get into production early next year just ahead of the debut of Power Book IV: Force, the fourth installment in the rapidly expanding franchise.

In other news, a movie musical inspired by the music of Boyz II Men is being developed by Amazon Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Malcolm D. Lee, director of The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday, and Girls Trip, is one of the producers, and is in talks to direct the film, titled Brotherly. The movie will follow a group of men who return to West Philadelphia for a high school reunion.

Finally, the 80s sitcoms The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes will be presented with live reenactments Tuesday night. Kevin Hart stars in Diff’rent Strokes as Gary Coleman‘s character, Arnold Drummond, and Damon Wayans plays his brother Willis, originally portrayed byTodd Bridges. Gabrielle Union will play Tootie, originally portrayed by Kim Fields, in The Facts of Life,

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, will air live Tuesday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Groundbreaking comic book artist George Perez reveals terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

George Perez, a groundbreaking comic artist whose work on the pages of DC and Marvel Comics reverberated in films like Wonder Woman and the Avengers movies, revealed on Facebook he’s suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer.

Perez, 67, famous for legendary comics including DC’s New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths for DC, and for his work with Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes, retired in 2019 for health issues, including blindness in one eye from diabetes.

He revealed to his followers that he was given the fatal diagnosis on November 29.

“It is surgically inoperable and my estimated life expectancy is between 6 months to a year,” Perez wrote.

“I have been given the option of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, but after weighing all the variables…I’ve opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of over 40 years, my family, friends and my fans.”

On that matter, Perez says he hopes to arrange one last autograph signing, “wherein I can be photographed with as many of my fans as possible, with the proviso that I get to hug each and every one of them. I just want to be able to say goodbye with smiles as well as tears.”

He added, “…oddly enough, I’m feeling the Christmas spirit more now than I have in many years.”

“Maybe it’s because it will likely be my last. Or maybe because I am enveloped in the loving arms of so many who love me as much as I love them. It’s quite uplifting to be told that you’ve led a good life, that you’ve brought joy to so many lives and that you’ll be leaving this world a better place because you were part of it.”

Watch members of Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers & more play together for school fundraiser

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

A charity fundraiser turned into a veritable Lollpalooza in Malibu, California, over the weekend.

Rockers including Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool‘s Danny Carey, and Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen all jammed together during the event, which raised money for the Malibu Elementary School arts program.

The all-star band also included Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, and Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt on guitar. You can check out footage from the concert via an attendee’s Insta gram.

While you probably didn’t get the attend the show, you can still listen to Hawkins and Chaney play together in the group NHC with the bassist’s Jane’s band mate, Dave Navarro. Chaney is also part of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder‘s solo band The Earthlings, alongside Smith and Watt.

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“She didn’t need any more training. She got me.” — Father of Rust armorer speaks out after fatal set shooting

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Sharpshooter and movie consultant Thell Reed said he’s not concerned about the possibility that his 24-year-old daughter, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, could go to jail.

Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of all weapons on the set of the film Rust.

On Oct. 21, actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing on the Rust set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he fired a live round from an antique Colt revolver, fatally striking 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins, and injuring the director, 48-year-old Joel Souza.

Baldwin claimed he didn’t pull the trigger. “I let go of the hammer — bang, the gun goes off,” the actor recalled to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

“The sheriff’s department will get to the bottom of this. I’m not worried about that at all,” Thell Reed told ABC News’ Kaylee Hartung in an exclusive interview that aired on Good Morning America.

Thell Reed worked as an armorer or weapons specialist on the set of a number of films, such as Tombstone, Django: Unchained, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

According to the sheriff’s office, two other people had handled or inspected the loaded gun before it discharged — the film’s armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, and the first assistant director, Dave Halls.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said his client had no idea where the live rounds came from and that she was not in the church where rehearsal was taking place.

“She had spun the cylinder, she had given it to Halls, she had shown him each of the six rounds…He was inside the church then, Hannah was outside the church having to do her prop duties.”

Thell Reed said he “didn’t like” that his daughter was having to take on both roles of armorer and prop assistant.

“That one time they should have had her on set, she would’ve rechecked that gun,” he told ABC News. “If there was a live round placed there, she would’ve found it.”

It was only the second movie that Gutierrez-Reed was brought on to serve as the lead armorer, but her father insists her inexperience wasn’t a factor. “She didn’t need any more training, she’s got me,” Reed told ABC News.

“She knows what to do,” he added. “She does the job as good as I do now.”

Hawaii governor declares state of emergency over ‘catastrophic’ weather

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(HONOLULU) — Following a forecast of “catastrophic” rainfall, flash floods and landslides, Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared a state of emergency for the tropical state.

“Now is the time to make sure you have an emergency plan in place and supplies ready should you need to move away from rising water,” Ige said in a press conference Monday night.

The city of Honolulu recorded its wettest December day on Monday after receiving 8 inches of rainfall. It also recorded the most single-day rainfall since 1958, when it received 15.32 inches.

“A kona low northwest of the islands will continue to bring the threat of heavy rain and a few thunderstorms with gusty winds to Kauai County and Oahu today, and potentially tonight,” the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Honolulu said.

While Monday’s flash flood warning for Oahu has since expired, there is still an active flood watch for the island.

Due to the heavy downpour, the Oahu Department of Emergency Management reported cases of vehicle rescues, water evacuation requests, inundated homes and road closures.

“The H-1 freeway and several roads in town are experiencing considerable flooding, so limit travel wherever possible,” the department said.

Images and videos from Twitter showed indoor flooding and cars and buses driving in and stranded in floodwater.

ABC News’ Daniel Peck contributed to this report.

Report: Police investigating Lil Wayne allegedly pulling rifle on bodyguard

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lil Wayne is reportedly under police investigation for allegedly pulling an assault rifle on one of his bodyguards at his home.

A member of Weezy’s security team claims that the iconic rapper brandished an AR-15-style rifle during an argument at his home in Hidden Hills, California, TMZ reports.

The guard says Wayne accused him of leaking photos to the media. He reported the altercation to police, who found that Wayne had left the house by the time they arrived. The security member also claimed the incident became physical, however police noted he had not sustained any injuries.

No charges have been filed. A source close to the Young Money Entertainment founder denies the incident and claims that Wayne does not own a gun.

Jennifer Lawrence re-teaming with her ‘Don’t Look Up’ director Adam McKay for Theranos scandal film ‘Bad Blood’

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence‘s latest film, Don’t Look Up, has yet to debut, but she’s re-teaming with its director, Adam McKay for a new project.

Variety reports Lawrence and McKay will tackle the Theranos scandal, with Lawrence producing and playing the company’s disgraced CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Holmes took Silicon Valley and Wall Street by storm with the invention of a revolutionary blood scanner, only to be exposed as a fraud when it was discovered she knew the machines never worked.

She’s currently on trial.

This project, for Apple Studios and Legendary Pictures will be based on Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist John Carreyrou‘s book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

The scandal is also being turned into a limited Hulu series called The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes; that project is based on the ABC News Radio podcast of the same name. Seyfried took on the role after Kate McKinnon exited; the SNL star is still producing. The series will also star William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, and Sam Waterston, among others.

Don’t Look Up hits theaters December 10, and streams on Netflix December 24.

Garth Brooks teases more Stadium Tour dates

December 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Garth Brooks may have more Stadium Tour dates up his sleeve.

As Garth continues to roll out shows for 2022, he shared on Inside Studio G Monday night that fans can expect to see additional dates on the Stadium Tour schedule before the end of the year. And while many of the shows have been in the South and Midwest, the superstar suggests his territory may be expanding.

“There’s going to be at least a couple more, including maybe a third one that’s huge for us,” he hints, adding with a laugh, “I can’t imagine the West Coast and the East Coast both getting Christmas presents, but who knows!”

Garth continues to break records with his Stadium Tour, selling more than 70,000 tickets last week to his show at University of Arkansas’ Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on April 23. He’s also set to play Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on April 30. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday.

The “Callin’ Baton Rouge” singer will conclude the Stadium Tour with five sold-out shows at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland in September.

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