Bastille has released a racing computer game celebrating the release of the band’s latest single, “Thelma + Louise.”
In the game, you play as a pixelated version of one of the four band members as you race nine other drivers on a desert or city track. It doesn’t appear that you can drive off the Grand Canyon, as seen in the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise, but maybe we haven’t gotten to that level yet.
“Thelma + Louise” the song premiered in August. It’s the third new Bastille song of 2021, following “Distorted Light Beam” and “Give Me the Future.”
Meanwhile, a new Bastille album, the follow-up to 2019’s Doom Days, is in the works.
Last week, Tai Verdes released a new version of his breakout single, “A-O-K” with 24kGoldn. Now the two artists have teamed up for a video full of summer fun.
As Tai sings in the song, “When I see trouble come my way/I be makin’ lemonade” — and that’s just what he and Goldn do in the clip, setting up a lemonade stand, mixing up several pitchers full, and handing them out to appreciative customers.
Goldn uses the refreshing beverage to get on the good side of a beautiful girl who stops by, and soon the two are hanging out in a convertible and walking a dog together. The “Mood” singer and Tai also take a dip in a swimming pool, and dance and sing poolside. A barbecue and pink flamingos complete the summer vibe.
Tai is currently on the road with Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler, which will be followed by a headlining tour that starts November 2 in Houston.
Gojira has inspired the names of a trio of newly discovered fossils.
The fossils are of ophiuroids, or ‘brittle stars,’ found in France, Luxembourg and Austria during the Early Jurassic epoch. They’re called Ophiogojira labadiei, Ophiogojira andreui and Ophioduplantiera noctiluca.
In addition to incorporating Gojira into the names, each fossil also references the individual band members: bassist Jean-Michel Labadie, guitarist Christian Andreu, and frontman and drummer Joe and Mario Duplantier.
An article in the Royal Society Open Science journal explains that Gojira was chosen as inspiration for the fossil names in recognition of the French metal outfit “producing songs of an unfathomable intensity, beautifully dark and heavy, and exploring the abyss of life and death, of human strength and error, and of thriving and yet threatened oceans.”
Fittingly, Gojira’s new album, Fortitude, especially the single “Amazonia,” deals a lot with environmental issues.
By the way, Gojira isn’t the only metal band part of science history. Metallica previously inspired the name of a deep-sea crustacean, while a venomous snake species was named after frontman James Hetfield.
Maren Morris proves that “The Bones” are still solid, as the hit song receives new certification.
The crossover smash has been certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA for sales of four million units. “The Bones” made history when it spent 19 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2020, designating Maren as the first solo female artist to have a multi-week #1 hit on country radio since 2012. It also charted inside the top 15 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
Featured on her critically acclaimed sophomore album, Girl, “The Bones” was named Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards and Song of the Year at the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Maren’s current single, “To Hell and Back,” is currently ascending into the top 30 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
An updated version of the Doors concert film Live at the Bowl ’68, along with bonus content, will be screened in select theaters on November 4 to celebrate the 50th anniversary this year of the band’s classic album, L.A. Woman.
The screening event, dubbed The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68 Special Edition, will feature the full movie, as well as footage of a new performance by surviving Doors drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger joined by various guest musicians, plus a conversation with Densmore, Krieger and the group’s manager, Jeff Jampol.
Tickets for the screenings go on sale starting September 21 at TheDoorsFilm.com.
Live at the Bowl ’68, which originally was released in 2012, features restored footage of a July 5, 1968, show that The Doors played at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles that’s widely considered to be one of the band’s best performances caught on film. An album featuring select songs from the same concert was released in 1987 under the title Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
The “Special Edition” of Live at the Bowl ’68 boasts a remastered audio mix in Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound created by longtime Doors engineer Bruce Botnick, who recorded the original Hollywood Bowl show and co-produced L.A. Woman.
“The magic that has been done to enhance the picture and sound quality of this show will make everyone feel as though they have a front-row seat at the Hollywood Bowl,” says Krieger.
Show Start/Intro
“When the Music’s Over”
“Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)”
“Back Door Man”
“Five to One”
“Back Door Man” (Reprise)
“The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”
“Hello, I Love You”
“Moonlight Drive”
“Horse Latitudes”
“A Little Game”
“The Hill Dwellers”
“Spanish Caravan”
“Hey, What Would You Guys Like to Hear?”
“Wake Up!”
“Light My Fire”
“Light My Fire” (Segue)
“The Unkown Soldier”
“The End” (Segue)
“The End”
Norm Macdonald, stand-up comic, actor, and one of the most influential and well-remembered anchors on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” news desk, has died. He was 61.
His producing partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with the comedian when he passed away, confirmed Macdonald’s death to ABC News. Macdonald had been privately battling cancer for nearly 10 years, and kept it hidden from fans, friends, and even family.
“He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him,” said Hoekstra in a statement. “Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”
Born in Quebec City, Canada, Macdonald developed a dry style on the stand-up stage, which eventually led him to a 1990 appearance on Star Search, and eventually into the writers room of another stand-up, Roseanne Barr. Macdonald wrote for the sitcom Roseanne in 1992 before landing the Saturday Night Live gig.
In addition to his landmark stint behind the Weekend Update desk — where his constant questions about O.J. Simpson during the latter’s murder trial reportedly landed him in hot water with NBC executives — Macdonald’s imitation of Burt Reynolds also made him a fan favorite.
Macdonald also appeared on the big screen over the years, with roles in his SNL co-stars’ movies like Adam Sandler‘s Billy Madison and Rob Schneider‘s The Animal, as well as voicing a droll dog in Dr. Doolittle with another SNL vet, Eddie Murphy.
David Letterman once called Macdonald his favorite guest. Macdonald — who made his TV stand-up debut on Letterman’s Late Night in 1990 — made a famously tearful appearance on Dave’s final Late Show, in which Norm’s voice cracked when he told Letterman he loved him.
In recent years, Macdonald appeared in the sci-fi comedy series The Orville, and voiced a pigeon on the quirky Mike Tyson Mysteries animated series from 2014 to 2020.
(NEW YORK) — Natalie Tapio has been living with a chronic seizure disorder, but with her service dog Dexter by her side, managing her condition has become a little easier.
He will alert her when she’s about to seize.
Tapio started experiencing catatonic seizures, a form of epilepsy, in 2014, which caused periods of semi-consciousness that rendered her unable to move. Eventually, she was suffering multiple, potentially debilitating seizures a day, that would happen at any time. Tapio’s doctors soon identified abnormal brainwaves after performing an EEG.
“The seizures were so unpredictable and silent, usually, and so there always has to be someone very attentive close by,” Tapio said. “[My] mom and I were basically inseparable. She would come into the bathroom with me when I needed to bathe or do anything. Really … wherever I went, she went.”
Her life changed three years ago after she learned about seizure alert dogs and eventually met Dexter.
“[Dexter] will alert me and then dial a dog phone, which has my parents’ phone numbers on it, and then [he] retrieves a pouch which will have any necessities for me, like medication, water [and] my cell phone,” she said.
Lisa Tapio, Natalie Tapio’s mother, found out about seizure alert dogs through a family member and began to research them, eventually coming across Little Angels. After Natalie Tapio submitted her medical information, she was accepted into the program.
Once Dexter was paired with Tapio, his first task was learning to paw her leg, alerting her when she was on the verge of a seizure. To do this, Lisa Tapio was asked to collect her daughter’s “seizure scent” by swabbing Natalie’s hands and the inside of her cheeks before, during and after a seizure. Dexter was trained with those scents and in 2018, he was ready to meet his new owner.
Dexter was raised by what some might consider an unlikely group of trainers: inmates at the California Correctional Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. Some of the inmates there are volunteers with Pups Uplifting Prisoner’s Spirits, or PUPS. The prison program is run by the non-profit Little Angels Service Dogs, a nationwide team that trains service dogs to help people living with disabilities and disabling conditions.
It was at the prison that ABC News met the group of women, all convicted felons, who’ve been training the dogs that might one day save people’s lives. Many of the women said the program has presented them with an opportunity for personal redemption.
“This isn’t just about training a dog,” said Amy Davis, an inmate at the prison. “[We] are training service dogs that save lives, and it’s about what the service dogs do to us to help us grow and continue to grow, and to heal our own wounds. You can’t be in this program and not grow. It doesn’t work [like that].”
Through the PUPS program, inmates have helped train dogs that have assisted medical technicians, people with autism, people with psychiatric conditions and those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Dana Froomin, the prison program manager for Little Angels Service Dogs, admitted that she was initially concerned for the dogs safety when she was tasked with starting the PUPS program in 2017. Her concerns waned, she said, when she met the inmates, and has found the work to be rewarding.
The dogs graduate from their training after 12 to 18 months and then are sent to one of two Little Angels ranches in San Diego, California, or New Hampshire. Once they arrive, they go through advanced training to perfect their skills before they are eventually paired with a recipient or released from the program.
Any inmate can apply to participate in the program, says Froomin. Once they submit an application, they are selected based on three main criteria: physical and mental health, commitment level and their interests. Once selected, inmates sign on for a two-year commitment where they care for and train a dog.
“When I got here, I realized that these are women with stories, and they’re heart-wrenching stories, and they were so open and honest,” said Froomin. “It changed me because I realized that the dogs weren’t just changing the recipients’ lives, they were changing [the inmates’] lives, and then they changed mine.”
Inmate Amber Ingram, the lead trainer in the program, believes that PUPS helps her to deal with the guilt and shame she feels after she was convicted for the second-degree murder of her 5-year-old son, Braeden. Ingram said she her son was killed by an abusive boyfriend.
Ingram said that she protects the dogs no matter what and it is her way of not only remembering her son but honoring him, too.
“I can’t allow anything bad to happen to this dog,” she said. “If someone were to want to kick my dog, I’m jumping in front of it.”
To Natalie Tapio, Little Angels and the women at the PUPS program are saving lives, she said.
“People with epilepsy often have this constant kind of cloud over their head or worry in the back of their mind of, ‘When will the next seizure happen? Where will I be? What will I be doing,’” she said. “I don’t need to have that anymore, and so that’s very freeing.”
(NEW YORK) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responded Monday night to backlash sparked by her controversial Met Gala gown emblazoned with the words “Tax the Rich,” saying she intended to carry the message into a wealthy space and borrowed the dress because “while the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it.”
The New York congresswoman dominated talk about the gala on social media, with people calling her a hypocrite for wearing her economic justice message on the back of a fancy dress while attending a charity event attended by New York and Hollywood elites with tickets that cost $35,000 a pop.
Republicans on social media questioned why Ocasio-Cortez would attend an event for society’s elite if she wants to tax the rich.
Sen. Rich Scott, R-Fla., said in a tweet Tuesday that Ocasio-Cortez “wants to tax the rich but took time out of her busy schedule to hob knob with NY and Hollywood elites who paid $30k to attend the #MetGala (and deduct it from their taxes).”
Larry Elder, the conservative talk radio host running against Gov. Gavin Newsom in California’s recall election, tweeted the headline of an article about Ocasio-Cortez’s dress with the accompanying hashtag “#WeveGotACountryToSave.”
Florida’s Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez also took to Twitter Monday night saying, “Only in America where a self-described Democratic socialist can wear a $10k “tax the rich” dress, pay $30k for a ticket, and be praised as a champion for the poor. Champagne socialists like AOC are far removed from reality.”
Ocasio-Cortez was quick to respond, explaining on social media that New York City elected officials are often invited to the gala and attend “due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public” — pointing out that she was one of several of the city’s politicians in attendance.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., were also present at the annual event, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus.
Ocasio-Cortez also made note on her Instagram account that the dress was borrowed from designer Aurora James, who attended the gala along with the congresswoman.
James is the founder of Brother Vellies, a clothing brand focused on traditional African designs and sustainability, and the 15 Percent Pledge, a nonprofit that challenges major retailers to commit a minimum of 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses, according to their respective websites.
In an interview during Vogue’s livestream of the gala, Ocasio-Cortez and James explained the idea behind the controversial dress.
“We really started having a conversation about what it means to be working-class women of color at the Met, and we said, ‘We can’t just play along, but we need to break the fourth wall and challenge some of the institutions,'” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And while the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it.”
Ocasio-Cortez, on Instagram, said, “The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.”
On CNN Tuesday morning, James reiterated that the concept behind the gown was to bring the message of economic justice to a gathering of the wealthy.
“The Met Gala is obviously one of the most exclusive events in the world, and we wanted to come and deliver a message. And I think when we talk about inclusion and gaining access to closed rooms for people of color, when you finally get a seat at the table you have to decide what the message is that you want to deliver,” James said. “I think for the congresswoman, I think for myself, economic equality and economic justice is sort of top of mind.”
Faith No More and Mr. Bungle have canceled a batch of upcoming tour dates as frontman Mike Patton cares for his mental health.
“I have issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic that are challenging me right now,” Patton says in a statement. “I don’t feel I can give what I should at this point and I am not going to give anything less than 100 percent. I am sorry to our fans and hope to make it up to you soon.”
Patton notes that both bands “support me in this decision.”
“We look forward to working through this in a healthy way,” he says.
In their own statement, the other four member of Faith No More share that, while they were excited to return to the live stage, Patton’s health takes priority.
“We believe that forging ahead with these dates would have had a profoundly destructive effect on Mike, whose value to us as a brother means more to us than his job as singer,” the statement reads. “He can count on our 100 percent support to do what he needs to do to get things right. Just as we also ask for your support right now.”
The affected Faith No More dates run from a September 16 concert in Maryland Heights, Missouri, through their October 22 and 23 shows in Los Angeles with System of a Down and Korn. Mr. Bungle, meanwhile, will miss their September 17 headlining date in Chicago and a September 19 appearance at Riot Fest.
Michael Bublé has been forced to cancel a concert later this month because he and the venue couldn’t agree on COVID-19 protocols.
In a message on Twitter, Michael explains that he’s had to cancel September 20 show in Austin, Texas, noting, “I am really sorry because I have always loved performing there.”
“I am not a political person,” he continued. “My commitment to complete my tour after all the postponements was agreed to under the terms that it would not put a single person in danger. Protocols were and continue to be in place for all my upcoming shows to ensure nobody will be put in harm’s way.”
The singer went on to say, “Though we tried, I was sadly unable to facilitate this for my Austin show. There was no other choice but to cancel. My conscience and my heart wouldn’t allow it.”
When Michael announced his rescheduled tour dates, he posted on his official website that everyone who attended had to either provide proof of vaccination or present the results of a negative COVID test.
The singer’s An Evening with Michael Bublé tour continues tonight in Milwaukee.
