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Cardi B is first female rapper to score two Diamond-certified songs with Maroon 5 collab “Girls Like You”

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Cardi B says several times in her Grammy-nominated hit “I Like It” that she likes her diamonds and she just added another rock to her collection.

“Girls Like You,” Cardi’s collab with Maroon 5, crossed over into the realm of RIAA Diamond-certified songs, meaning it has sold over 10 million copies. This is Cardi’s and the band’s second Diamond-certification.

The 29-year-old has now made history as the first female rapper to score two Diamond-certified tracks. Cardi previously snagged the honor with her breakout single “Bodak Yellow.”

She took to Twitter to celebrate making history, tweeting out, “Wow I got two Diamond records! Thank you sooo much @maroon5 for including me on this song and this is the song I cater to my daughter every time I perform it. I’m forever grateful.”

The band celebrated the new achievement on Instagram, writing, “Girls Like You ft. Cardi B has been RIAA certified 10x Multi-Platinum!”

“Girls Like You,” released in 2018, spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the top-selling songs of the year. Its music video — which featured Gal Gadot, Ellen DeGeneres, Camila Cabello, Aly Raisman, Tiffany Haddish, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige and many other famous women — has amassed over three billion views on YouTube.

Sting says he still misses George Michael: “We should have helped him more”

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Later this month, we’ll mark the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of George Michael, who passed way on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53. Now, one of his famous friends is expressing regret at not doing enough to prevent his death.

Speaking with Apple Music, Sting tells Zane Lowe of his late pal, “You wonder where that immense talent would’ve developed. What would he be doing now? And it’s with such sadness that I think of George, because he had such potential and died far too young.”

Sting adds, “And he was a lovely, lovely man. I just miss him. I just miss him. I wish we could have helped him more. I think he was lonely and we should have helped him more.”

Sting and George were both huge pop stars in the ’80s, and sang together on the Band Aid single “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” Over the years, they collaborated onstage, and George covered Sting’s classic Police hit “Roxanne” on his 1999 album Songs from the Last Century.

In 2017, Sting dedicated his song “Fragile” to George and two other icons who left us too early: David Bowie and Prince.

Speaking about his friendships with other artists, Sting told Lowe that many of them came about thanks to the massive charity events that were so popular in the ’80s.

“Events like Live Aid or the Amnesty Tour forced us to share space, to share dressing rooms, to share the stage, to share the limelight, to share airplane journeys together,” he explains. “And some of those friendships that were forged then — for example, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen…Tracy Chapman — those friendships are solid to this day because of that. We recognized our own situation in those other people. We didn’t feel isolated.”

John Mellencamp, Paul Williams, Josh Klinghoffer donate items to ASCAP Foundation holiday auction

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

John Mellencamp, famed pop songwriter Paul Williams and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer are among the artists who have contributed items to a silent holiday auction benefiting The ASCAP Foundation, which supports music education and talent-development programs for music creators.

Mellencamp has donated a signed Jasmine acoustic guitar to the sale that has an estimated value of $2,500.

Williams, who has co-written such memorable tunes as Barbra Streisand‘s “Evergreen,” The Carpenters‘ “We’ve Only Just Begun” and the Muppets classic “Rainbow Connection,” is contributing a handwritten and signed lyric sheet to the song of the winning bidder’s choice. The document is also estimated to be worth $2,500.

Klinghoffer, who’s currently a member of Pearl Jam‘s touring band, has donated a 45-minute virtual guitar lesson to the auction that’s valued at $5,000.

Other artists who have donated items to the sale include alternative-pop superstar Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, R&B artist Ne-Yo, rapper Lil Baby and country stars Chris Stapleton and Old Dominion.

Check out all the items at CharityBuzz.com.

Daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi join Beyoncé in Ivy Park trailer

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Beyoncé is decking the halls with boughs of ivy for the holidays as she appears in matching houndstooth ensembles with her daughters, Blue Ivy, 9, and Rumi, 4, in the new Ivy Park trailer.

Set in a prestigious private school, the clip promoting Queen Bey‘s line of stylish activewear features more celebrity children. Natalia Bryant, daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, wears a blazer jacket. Reese Witherspoon’s kids are also featured as Ava Phillippe reads in a lawn chair while her brother, Deacon, plays a game of table tennis.

Brooklyn Nets basketball star James Harden also makes an appearance, sitting at the chairman’s desk twirling a basketball.

The new Ivy Park collection, in collaboration with Adidas, is set to drop on Thursday, December 9 at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Alec Baldwin exclusive: “The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger”

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Actor Alec Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that he had “no idea” how a live bullet got onto the set of his film Rust, but that he “didn’t pull the trigger” on the firearm that killed one person and wounded another.

“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos in a first-look segment from the upcoming interview, which is produced by George Stephanopoulos Productions.

Alec Baldwin Unscripted will air this Thursday, December 2, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will begin streaming on Hulu later that evening.

“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” the actor added.

On October 21, Baldwin was holding an antique revolver during a dress rehearsal for the Western film at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, when it discharged, killing the movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and wounding its director, Joel Souza.

In the exclusive ABC News interview, Baldwin, who was starring in and co-produced the film, talked about what happened on set that fateful day, saying he had no reason to suspect a live bullet could be in the prop gun.

He also talked with Stephanopoulos about Hutchins, 42, who was struck in the chest and died after being airlifted to a hospital.

“I think back and I think of what could I have done?” Baldwin said.

“She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her] and liked by everyone who worked with [her], and admired,” Alec noted. “I mean, even now I find it hard to believe that [she’s gone]. It doesn’t seem real to me.”

Billie Eilish becomes PETA’s youngest ever “Person of the Year”

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The honors keep coming for Billie Eilish. A week after she was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, PETA announced she is their youngest-ever recipient of their “Person of the Year” award.

The animal advocacy group praised the outspoken 19-year-old vegan for using her platform to educate fans on animal cruelty within the makeup and fashion industry. PETA also lauded Billie for convincing luxury brand Oscar de la Renta to permanently swear off fur. She made that her one condition, which the company agreed to, before wearing their blush pink gown to the Met Gala.

That’s not the only impact the “Happier Than Ever” singer had in the fashion industry. When partnering with Nike for her Air Jordan shoe collection, she created sneakers that were made out of “100% vegan leather with over 20% recycled material,” which Billie promoted on Instagram. The Grammy winner also released a perfume, Eilish, which doesn’t use any animal byproducts and wasn’t tested on animals.

The organization also praised Billie for promoting sustainable meals and encouraging followers to take a hard look at how their diet harms animals.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a Wednesday press release that the organization “is happier than ever to celebrate her for seizing every opportunity to point out that vegan fashion and foods are kinder to the animals and the planet we share with them.”

Pistol Annies’ “Snow Globe” music video is retro holiday fun

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Country trio the Pistol Annies are continuing to deck the halls with holiday magic with the release of their new music video for “Snow Globe.”

Available only on Facebook, the clip finds the Annies in the midst of a festive performance of their original holiday tune, delivering glittery throwback vibes as they stand onstage and sing into retro microphones.

It’s one of several performances of “Snow Globe” fans have gotten the chance to catch in recent days: The group offered a performance of their holiday song as part of the CMA Country Christmas special earlier this week, and they recently performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, too.

The trio — which consists of Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe — put out their first Christmas album, Hell of a Holiday, this year. They’ll double down on festive fun later this month, delivering their Pistol Annies Hell of a Holiday Special on December 15. The event will stream on the Annies’ Facebook page at 8 p.m. ET, and benefits the Music Health Alliance.

Kane Brown is co-hosting this year’s ‘A Home for the Holidays,’ spotlighting stories of foster care and adoption

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown was just announced as a co-host for seasonal television special A Home for the Holidays. He’s sharing the gig with Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara and Darren Criss.

Featuring performances from a number of different artists and recorded at The Grove in Los Angeles, A Home for the Holidays spotlights uplifting stories of American children who were adopted from foster care.

For his segment of the show, Kane will introduce and perform for the Rodriguez family, including a young girl named Marjorie, who was placed in foster care as a toddler and lived in six different homes by the age of five. After finally finding a home with Jerry and Celine Rodriguez, Marjorie finally found her forever family — and now, they’re just hoping to make the adoption official.

Home for the Holidays will air on December 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Brody Dalle given community service hours for contempt charge amid custody battle with Josh Homme

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle will complete 60 hours of community service after being charged with criminal contempt amid her ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Josh Homme, Rolling Stone reports.

The charge stems from a Los Angeles judge finding that Dalle “willfully” kept Homme from being able to see his five-year-old son during his court-ordered custody period. According to Rolling Stone, Homme’s lawyers asked for a harsher sentence of five days in jail or 120 hours of community labor for Dalle.

Dalle told Rolling Stone that she was “relieved by the court’s decision.”

“I don’t believe anyone should go to jail or pick up trash for protecting her children,” she said. “As a mother, I will always put my children first and protect them at all costs.”

Homme told the court in a statement that he felt he’d suffered “a lot of parental alienation.”

“This family is in grave danger and so fractured and ripped apart,” he said. “All I want to do is see my kids. I want my mother to see her grandkids. I want my father to see his grandkids.”

Dalle argued that Homme’s claim of “parental alienation” was a “strategy used in family court by abusers to take the onus off the abuser and place it onto the victims.”

The legal proceedings between Dalle and Homme since the former couple filed for divorce in 2019 have certainly been contentious. Both have filed restraining orders against each other, and their 15-year-old daughter was granted a temporary restraining order against Homme.

In a filing this past September, Dalle submitted a restraining order on behalf of her and Homme’s two sons against their father, alleging abuse. Those requests were denied.

Homme has denied allegations of abuse.

Britney Spears and Olivia Rodrigo among prestigious Bloomberg 50 list of innovators

December 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Each year, Bloomberg Businessweek issues its list of the 50 people who made the biggest impact on the global business landscape. This year, Britney Spears and Olivia Rodrigo both made the prestigious list.

Bloomberg said Britney deserves a spot on their roundup not only for the role she played in terminating her own 13-year conservatorship, but because she changed the public’s opinion of conservatorships as a whole. The outlet focused on the Grammy-winner’s bombshell court statements in June, and said the weight of her words carried beyond the music industry. Political leaders, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, were disturbed by Britney’s allegations and are now pushing to change conservatorship laws. Five months after Britney’s statements, a judge terminated her conservatorship.

Olivia Rodrigo is among the youngest people to make the Bloomberg 50. The outlet honored the unmistakable impact the 18-year-old had on music industry and lauded the multiple streaming records set by her debut single, “drivers license” — including the fastest song to hit over 100 million streams. Bloomberg also said her debut album, SOUR, is among the most successful releases of 2021.

Taylor Swift didn’t make the list this year, but that’s because people can only make the Bloomberg 50 once. She was previously honored in 2018, but the outlet wanted to recognize how she shook up the music industry this year and sparked debate on artists’ rights. After nemesis Scooter Braun sold her master recordings to a private equity firm for $300 million, Taylor re-recorded her music as “Taylor’s Version” albums. With the old catalogue directly competing against her new versions on the radio, streaming services and at retailers, Taylor is directly cutting into the profit those master recordings could have made had she not pulled such an unconventional move.

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