Sting and Burt Bacharach are among the artists who perform at a pair of concerts celebrating legendary music executive Jerry Moss on February 11 and 12 at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The shows, dubbed Live at The Music Center: Concerts Celebrating Jerry Moss, Co-Founder of A&M Records, will feature performances by various music artists from the label’s roster.
Besides the former Police frontman and Bacharach, the events will include musical tributes from Moss’ A&M co-founder Herb Alpert, as well as from Sérgio Mendes, acclaimed soul/gospel singer Merry Clayton and others. In addition, actor Tim Curry and other celebs will be on hand to pay homage to Moss.
The concerts will showcase some of the most famous songs produced by A&M Records artists, and also will feature stories and video presentations celebrating “the spirit and legacy of” the label under Moss’ and Alpert’s guidance.
Tickets for the concerts can be purchased now at MusicCenter.org/Moss. Money raised by the events will go toward The Music Center’s initiatives to provide free and affordable arts experiences to people in the Los Angeles area.
“I met Mr. M in 1978 on my first trip to Los Angeles and was proud to induct him and Mr. A[lpert] into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. He is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met,” says Sting. “He was sensitive to our needs, respected the creative process and understood the freedom artists must have to let the art speak for itself.”
Adds Alpert, “My success as a recording artist is greatly due to my dear friend and A&M partner Jerry Moss.”
On Monday, the fifth day in his trial for allegedly staging a 2019 hate crime against himself, former Empire star Jussie Smollett testified in his own defense.
According to Page Six, the actor said under oath that he was sexually involved with one of the Nigerian brothers who told cops Jussie paid them to pose as white supporters of President Trump and rough him up, and put a noose around his neck.
Last week, Abimbola Osundairo denied the pair had a sexual relationship, but he did admit in court that he and Smollett visited Steamworks bathhouse in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood together.
Smollett testified Monday that he and Osundairo did drugs together and engaged in sexual activity at the location.
While prosecutors claim Smollett paid Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to “fake beat him up” to raise his profile on Empire, the defense is now claiming the attack was real, because the bodybuilding brothers were homophobic.
Smollett has yet to be cross-examined.
Smollett was indicted for a second time in February of last year on six counts, including lying to investigators about the case. Prosecutors maintain he’d hired the brothers to stage the incident, and furnished as evidence the check the actor claimed was for “personal training.”
Dan Webb, the special prosecutor tapped to investigate the case after the charges were initially dropped, said in February of 2020 that the actor made “numerous false statements to Chicago Police Department officers on multiple occasions, reporting a heinous hate crime he, in fact, knew had not occurred.”
An allegedly threatening letter to Smollett, which contained a white powder later found to be a pain reliever, is the center of a separate federal investigation. At the time, former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson claimed the letter was also phony.
Lil Uzi Vert made the 29th birthday of JT of City Girls unforgettable by shutting down the Nickelodeon Studios Park at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey over the weekend.
“The Way Life Goes “rapper joined his girlfriend and 20 friends on numerous rides for her 29th birthday celebration, including the massive roller coaster, according to TMZ. Lil Uzi dropped $50K to rent the park, and added a spectacular surprise, a brand new black McLaren.
JT posted a photo with Vert at the park and commented, “I love you, I appreciate you.” Following the party, she flew to Los Angeles to join her musical partner, Yung Miami, as City Girls received the Future Is Female Award at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch.
Everyone of course has their own favorite holiday movies, but some states boast having one — or more — of those Christmas classics set within their borders.
With that in mind, Fandango’s streaming service Vudu surveyed thousands of film fans across the United States to discover their local favorite holiday flicks set in their states.
The result is a map of which classic films are set where, from Los Angeles’ fictional Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard to New York City-set Elf.
Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis, notes, “As fans search for the perfect holiday movies to watch this season on Vudu, this map offers a fun way to not only discover hidden gems, but to also explore the country through a host of holiday-themed movies.”
Here’s the list of some holiday favorites, state-by-state, in alphabetical order:
Alaska – Fatman
Arizona – Bad Santa
California – Die Hard
Colorado – Jack Frost
Florida – Ernest Saves Christmas
Georgia – A Madea Christmas
Illinois – Home Alone
Indiana – A Christmas Story
Kansas – Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Louisiana – Last Holiday
Maryland – Home for the Holidays
Missouri – Meet Me in St. Louis
Massachusetts – Little Women
Nebraska – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Michigan – Prancer
Minnesota – Jingle All the Way
New Jersey – Just Friends
Pennsylvania – Trading Places
New Hampshire – Eight Crazy Nights
New York – Elf
Vermont – White Christmas
So, how close did Elton John come to being accidentally killed by Ed Sheeran when filming their “Merry Christmas” music video? According to the behind-the-scenes footage, pretty darn close.
Sir Elton took to Instagram on Monday to share the harrowing moment when Sheeran kicks at a bunch of presents and sends a Christmas bell sailing through the air. Thankfully, Elton is looking down at the time because he’s too busy playing the piano — so the shiny gold bell narrowly misses his head.
The moment is even slowed down to show just how close it came, with the bell whizzing past the singer’s left ear and temple.
As Elton looks up after that heavy prop clatters across his grand piano, Ed steps into frame while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
“Better luck next time, @teddysphotos,” Elton captioned the video and threw in the crying laughing emoji.
Sheeran previously revealed that he nearly took out the 74-year-old pop-rock legend when speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the “Merry Christmas” music video.
“I kick a present, but the present had a big metal bell on top of it…the bell flew past his head and would’ve cracked him in the head,” Ed admitted, saying that it almost “killed him.”
(NEW YORK) — For years, thousands of sexual assault kits sat on the shelves in Wisconsin crime labs, leaving victims and investigators desperately waiting for crucial data, according to state officials.
But new legislation that went into effect Monday aims to clear up this backlog and provide victims with more information about their investigations.
Gov. Tony Evers signed two bills that have been in the works since 2019 that establish a detailed procedure for the collection and processing of sexual assault kits. The bills also create a tracking system where victims can see the progress of the tests.
“Victims and survivors of sexual assault have already gone through the unimaginable, and their path to justice should never be obstructed or delayed,” Evers said in a statement.
Under the new laws, when a health care professional collects sexual assault evidence, a victim will have the choice to report the incident to law enforcement.
If the victim chooses to report the incident, officers have up to 72 hours to collect the kit from the health care professional, and then 14 days to send the kit to the state crime laboratories for analysis.
If the victim chooses not to report the incident, the health care provider is required to send the kit to the state crime laboratories for storage within 72 hours. The kit will remain in storage for up to 10 years, and if a victim reconsiders reporting the incident, the kit will be tested.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice will track the kits and maintain the database for the victims.
The two bills were approved by the Wisconsin state Senate in 2019, but didn’t pass in both houses until this year.
Wisconsin is the latest state to address its sexual assault kit backlog.
Virginia and Missouri have also taken efforts to streamline the process and test thousands of kits that were in storage at labs in their jurisdictions.
(NEW YORK) — A suburban New York man threatened to attack the 2021 New York City Pride March with “firepower” that would “make the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting look like a cakewalk,” federal prosecutors said Monday.
Robert Fehring, 74, of Bayport, New York, allegedly sent at least 60 letters threatening to assault, shoot and bomb LGBTQ-affiliated individuals, organizations and businesses. He was arrested Monday morning.
A search of his home last month turned up photographs from a 2021 Pride event in East Meadow, New York, two loaded shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two stun guns and a stamped envelope addressed to an LGBTQ-affiliated attorney containing the remains of a dead bird, federal prosecutors said.
“As alleged, the defendant’s hate-filled invective and threats of violence directed at members of the LGBTQ community have no place in our society and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said.
Forty-nine people were killed, and dozens were injured in the mass shooting Fehring reportedly referenced at Pulse nightclub, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016.
Fehring has reportedly been sending these kinds of threatening letters since at least 2013, according to the unsealed criminal complaint. In them, he threatened the use of firearms and explosives.
Along with the letter threatening the New York City Pride March — in which he wrote there would “be radio-controlled devices placed at numerous strategic places” — the criminal complaint also quoted from a letter Fehring allegedly sent to the organizer of the Pride event in East Meadow.
“[W]e were right there you…FREAK!!! They couldn’t get a shot off at you, slithering around the back stage area like a snake. Too many cops. Very disappointed. But your time has come. … They are out to KILL you….and your boyfriend. You are being watched. No matter how long it takes, you will be taken out…. high-powered bullet…. bomb….knife…. whatever it takes,” the letter said.
Fehring will appear before a judge Monday afternoon.
(NEW YORK) — The family of Emmett Till is expected to address the final report from the FBI and Justice Department’s investigation into Till’s 1955 murder at a press conference on Monday.
Till, 14, was killed while visiting family in Mississippi after he was accused of whistling at and making sexual advances toward a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. He was kidnapped, badly beaten and found in the Tallahatchie River several days later.
Carolyn Bryant’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam were charged with Till’s murder and acquitted by an all-white jury. The two men later confessed to the killing in a paid magazine interview months later.
Rev. Wheeler Parker, Till’s cousin — who was 16 at the time — was in the house when Roy Bryant and Milam came looking for Till.
“I’m waiting to be shot, and I close my eyes,” Parker recalled in an interview with ABC News for an upcoming documentary series “Let the World See.” “I wasn’t shot, I opened my eyes and they’re passing by me. The guy said we’re looking for fat boy, the fat boy from Chicago.”
“They left with him, and that’s the last time we saw him alive,” he added.
Till’s murder came at a time of intense racial unrest and animosity. When his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, demanded an open casket at his funeral, it helped spark the civil rights movement.
The Justice Department opened an investigation into Till’s killing in 2004 but determined that there was no federal jurisdiction due to the statute of limitations. The investigation was originally closed in 2007 after a local grand jury declined to indict anyone on state charges.
It was reopened in 2018, following the publication of Timothy Tyson’s book “The Blood of Emmett Till,” in which Carolyn Bryant revealed she had not been telling the truth when she testified that Till had grabbed her and uttered obscenities. The Bryant family now deny that she had recanted her allegations.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
The Critics Choice Association announced its picks for TVs best in 2021, and HBO’s drama Succession led the pack with eight nominations. Another HBO series, Mare of Easttown earned five, tied with Paramount+’s drama Evil.
All told, HBO led the pack with 20 nominations overall, followed by Netflix’s 18.
Disney+’s WandaVision earned four nominations, tying with Apple TV+’s Emmy winner Ted Lasso, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Paramount+’s The Good Fight and NBC’s This Is Us.
Succession earned nominations for Best Drama Series, as well as nods for Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong in the Best Actor in a Drama Series category. J. Smith-Cameron and Sarah Snook will similarly be competing against each other in the Best Actress category, while their co-stars Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun, and Matthew Macfadyen are all vying for the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series prize.
Easttown was nominated for Best Limited Series, with its Oscar and Emmy-winning lead Kate Winslet nominated in the Best Actress category. Emmy winner Evan Peters was given a nod in the Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series category; Jean Smart earned that nomination in the actress category.
Evil was hailed in the Best Drama Category, with nominations for leads Mike Colter and co-star Katja Herbers in the lead actor categories. Their co-stars Andrea Martin and Christine Lahti were nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category.
The 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards will be broadcast liveon The CW and TBS on Sunday, January 9, 2022, from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
Here’s a list of nominations in the major categories:
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Evil (Paramount+)
For All Mankind (Apple TV+)
The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Pose (FX)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Mike Colter – Evil (Paramount+)
Brian Cox – Succession (HBO)
Lee Jung-jae – Squid Game (Netflix)
Billy Porter – Pose (FX)
Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Uzo Aduba – In Treatment (HBO)
Chiara Aurelia – Cruel Summer (Freeform)
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Katja Herbers – Evil (Paramount+)
Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets (Showtime)
MJ Rodriguez – Pose (FX)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicholas Braun – Succession (HBO)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO)
Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Andrea Martin – Evil (Paramount+)
Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Christine Lahti – Evil (Paramount+)
J. Smith-Cameron – Succession (HBO)
Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)
Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
The Great (Hulu)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Insecure (HBO)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Other Two (HBO Max)
Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Iain Armitage – Young Sheldon (CBS)
Nicholas Hoult – The Great (Hulu)
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Elle Fanning – The Great (Hulu)
Renée Elise Goldsberry – Girls5eva (Peacock)
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Sandra Oh – The Chair (Netflix)
Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ncuti Gatwa – Sex Education (Netflix)
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)
Ray Romano – Made for Love (HBO Max)
Bowen Yang – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO Max)
Kristin Chenoweth – Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)
Molly Shannon – The Other Two (HBO Max)
Cecily Strong – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Josie Totah – Saved By the Bell (Peacock)
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
Dopesick (Hulu)
Dr. Death (Peacock)
It’s a Sin (HBO Max)
Maid (Netflix)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
Midnight Mass (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)
WandaVision (Disney+)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Come From Away (Apple TV+)
List of a Lifetime (Lifetime)
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (Amazon Prime Video)
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)
Oslo (HBO)
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Olly Alexander – It’s a Sin (HBO Max)
Paul Bettany – WandaVision (Disney+)
William Jackson Harper – Love Life (HBO Max)
Joshua Jackson – Dr. Death (Peacock)
Michael Keaton – Dopesick (Hulu)
Hamish Linklater – Midnight Mass (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Danielle Brooks – Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)
The clip was directed by filmmaker Jack McCoy and is dedicated to the ocean charity Surfrider Foundation Australia and the organization’s work spreading awareness about the importance of protecting the coastlines from pollution and other environmental disruptions.
The video features thrilling slow-motion footage of acclaimed free surfer Craig Anderson and other surfers riding giant waves.
McCartney, who previously has collaborated with McCoy on other videos with ocean-conservation themes, contacted Jack about making a clip for “Slidin’,” a song from his 2020 solo album McCartney III that he felt lent itself to be accompanied by surfing and ocean scenes.
“As soon as I heard the song I said to myself ‘Craig Anderson’,” McCoy explained. “I called on some of Craig’s friends to provide me with some amazing footage and made what became the official video for the track.”
He added, “With Paul’s blessing, Craig and I chose to dedicate the video to Surfrider Foundation to help beat the drum with their ongoing fight for our coastline, in particular the current fight to STOP PEP11, a proposal to drill for oil and gas off [Australia’s New South Wales] coastline.”
McCoy ended up making another “Slidin'” video using O’Brien’s remix for the song, which Ed created for the recent McCartney III Imagined compilation.
O’Brien noted that creating the McCartney remix “was a lot of fun,” recalling, “The winter was dark and a second lockdown was imminent, but working on this track with [producer] Paul Epworth was a moment of light.”
McCoy also is working on a new video project with McCartney in support of Surfrider Foundation Australia that features nine world-class free surfers.
