Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Ozzy Osbourne has postponed his European tour.
The seemingly snakebit run, which also features Judas Priest on the bill, has now been delayed to 2023, four years after it was originally supposed to kick off.
You may recall that the tour was first scheduled to begin all the way back in January 2019, but was postponed to early 2020 after Ozzy came down with a particularly nasty case of the flu. In the spring of 2019, the now 72-year-old metal legend suffered a fall in his home and required surgery, the extended recovery from which forced him to push back the tour again to the fall of 2020.
Then, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the tour once more, to 2022. Now, as a result of “ongoing uncertainty with full capacity events and travel logistics in much of Europe” stemming from the continued pandemic, Ozzy is set to finally hit Europe beginning May 2023.
Should you still have your ticket from any of the previously scheduled shows, that will be valid at the 2023 dates. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Ozzy.com.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) In his latest bit of cinematic “get off my lawn!”, legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott says millennials are to blame for his film The Last Duel fizzling at the box office.
Just days after he dissed superhero movies to Deadline as “boring as sh**,” Scott chatted with Marc Maron on his WTF podcast, and let millennials have it over the tepid theatrical performance of the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon medieval movie.
“I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f**king cell phones,” the director said. “The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone. This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. There is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”
He added, “We all thought it was a terrific script, and we made it,” allowing, “You can’t win all the time.”
Scott commented, “I’ve never had one regret on any movie I’ve ever made. Nothing. I learned very early on to be your own critic….Walk away. Make sure you’re happy. And don’t look back. That’s me.”
For the record, Scott believes he’s made three great superhero movies — but just not the comic book kind.
“One would be Alien with Sigourney Weaver,” he told Deadine. “One would be f***ing Gladiator, and one would be Harrison Ford [in Blade Runner]. They’re superhero movies. So, why don’t the superhero movies have better stories?”
Scott’s latest film, House of Gucci, is now in theaters.
If you wanted to know how BTS feels about securing their second career Grammy nod, for Pop Duo or Group Performance, they’re giving themselves “Permission to Dance.”
The K-pop sensations took over The Late Late Show with James Corden Tuesday and poured their hearts into performing their summertime hit. The septet, comprised of members Jimin, Jin, J-Hope, Jungkook, RM, Suga and V, broke out the balloons and energetically danced in front of a digital backdrop of rolling clouds — a possible hint they were on cloud nine.
BTS also helped James with his perennial bit, Crosswalk Concert, which saw them take over West Hollywood’s Beverly Boulevard to perform “Dynamite” and “Butter” while traffic waited at the red light.
This marked the group’s first in-person appearance on Late Late Show in two years. The guys were excited to make their grand return during an already amazing week for them. On top of their Grammy nod, they took home three awards at the fan-voted American Music Awards on Sunday. RM said they’re “flattered” by the honor, while Suga also shouted-out their loyal fan base — the ARMY — when discussing the effects of the pandemic, which derailed many of their plans.
“At first, we were very bitter about this whole situation. It was very difficult,” he confessed, but said that initial disappointment showed BTS “how precious everything is.” V added the experience “made us work together even better.”
Other highlights from their Late Late Show appearance included the boys ratting out Jungkook as the person who gets the most nervous before a show, and Jimin flexing his muscles as RM pressured James to touch those “concrete” thighs.
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Several of the Grammy nominees in the rock, alternative and metal categories have shared their reactions to being included in the upcoming 2022 ceremony, taking place January 31.
Chris Cornell‘s widow, Vicky Cornell, shared an Instagram post celebrating her late husband’s nods for Best Rock Album for his posthumous album, No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1, and Best Rock Performance for his cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
“While Chris lives on in our children and me daily, knowing he lives on in all of you through his music means the world,” Vicky writes. “Huge thank you to his devoted fans for helping us keep his memory and legacy alive and to the @recordingacademy — we are overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Double nominee Deftones — who will compete for Best Rock Performance with “Ohms” and Best Metal Performance with “Genesis” — feels “honored to have [those songs] be recognized.”
“They were released during a very uncertain time with music and the world alike, so to have them resonate the way they did is really special for us,” the band says. Defones also congratulated Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda for his “amazing” remix of their song, “Passenger,” which is nominated for Best Remixed Recording.
Despite the fact they’ve been releasing music since 2012, Glass Animals is nominated for Best New Artist. Frontman Dave Bayley says, “When starting this little project a Grammy nomination was beyond our wildest dreams.”
Here are a few other reactions from the rock, alternative and metal nominees:
AC/DC (Best Rock Album, Power Up; Best Rock Performance, “Shot in the Dark”; Best Music Video, “Shot in the Dark”): “#PWRUP the GRAMMYS”
St. Vincent (Best Alternative Music Album, Daddy’s Home): “!!!”
Black Pumas (Best Rock Performance, “Know You Better (Live from Capitol Studio A)”; Best Rock Album, Capitol Cuts — Live From Studio A): “What an incredible honor to be nominated by the @RecordingAcad for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance for our Capitol Cuts Album!”
Dream Theater (Best Metal Performance, “The Alien”): “We are so honored to be nominated for a GRAMMY this year in the Best Metal Performance category!”
Mastodon (Best Metal Performance, “Pushing the Tides”): “Our song ‘Pushing the Tides’ has been Nominated for a Grammy! Thank you very much.”
Rob Zombie(Best Metal Performance, “The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition)): “Well, this latest nomination today was certainly a surprise. It is my eighth nomination… so who knows?”
Halsey (Best Alternative Music Album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power): “Really wasn’t expecting that! It was an honor to work with some of my heroes, Trent [Reznor] and Atticus [Ross], and I am so proud of this album and hope that you guys continue to love it for years to come. Here’s to taking risks.”
FINNEAS (Best New Artist): “Congratulations to all the Grammy nominees! I feel so lucky to be in your company!”
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of one of rock’s greatest champions, Queen singer Freddie Mercury.
Mercury died from complications of AIDS at age 45 on November 23, 1991, just one day after announcing to the world that he’d been diagnosed with the disease.
Widely regarded as one of the all-time great rock singers and frontmen, Freddie used his powerful vocals, flamboyant persona and dynamic performing style to help Queen become among the most popular and successful bands in the world.
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in 1946 on the African island of Zanzibar, where his family lived until 1964, when they moved to the U.K. In 1970, Mercury teamed up with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor in a band called Smile, and after the addition of bassist John Deacon, the group changed its name to Queen.
The band blended a variety of genres to create a unique sound that captivated a wide variety of music fans. Mercury wrote many of Queen’s biggest hits, including “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Bicycle Race,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Play the Game” and, of course, the enduring rock anthem “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Freddie also co-wrote Queen’s classic 1981 collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.” Mercury’s performance with Queen at London’s Wembley Stadium at the 1985 Live Aid festival is considered one of the highlights of that historic event.
Mercury also released a pair of solo albums during the 1980s.
Following Freddie’s death, May, Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach co-founded the Mercury Phoenix Trust in his honor. The charity supports AIDS-related causes.
Mercury was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Queen in 2001. His legacy continues to make its mark on the rock and pop world.
Steve Burton, who played mobster Jason Morgan on General Hospital, has become the second cast member of the long-running ABC soap over his refusal to comply with the production’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Burton confirmed his departure in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday in which he said, “I know there’s been a lot of rumors and speculations about me and General Hospital and I wanted you to hear it from me personally: Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go.”
Burton claims he sought medical and religious exemptions to the mandate, but was denied.
The turn of events “hurts,” the actor admitted. “But this also about personal freedom to me. I don’t think anybody should lose their livelihood over this.”
Burton thanked his fans, saying he’s “excited to see what the future brings,” and said it would be “an honor” if he could return to the show and “finish his career as Jason Morgan” someday, “if these mandates are lifted.”
Burton, who taped his final episode on October 27, says he doesn’t know when his last airdate will be. Ingo Rademacher recently announced his departure from GH over his refusal to comply with the mandate.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has shared a statement in response to Marilyn Manson‘s inclusion among the 2022 Grammy nominees, which were announced Tuesday.
Manson, born Brian Warner, is technically nominated as a contributor to Kanye West‘s Donda, which is up for Album of the Year. That 2021 is ending with Warner being a Grammy nominee raised some eyebrows, as he’s spent most of this year being accused of physical, emotional and sexual abuse by multiple women, including ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, actor Esmé Bianco, model Ashley Morgan Smithline and Warner’s former assistant, Ashley Walters.
Warner, who’s facing multiple lawsuits, has denied the allegations.
In a statement to The Wrap regarding Warner’s nomination, the Recording Academy’s Mason says, “We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration.”
“We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record,” Mason continues. “We won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria. If it is, they can submit for consideration.”
Mason does imply, however, that the Recording Academy may restrict Warner’s ability to attend the actual Grammy ceremony.
“What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets,” Mason says. “We’ll take a look at anyone who is asking to be a part of that, asking to be in attendance, and we’ll make our decisions at that point.”
The statement concludes, “But we’re not going to be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on.”
Just hours after he scored his first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, The Kid LAROIwon two ARIA Awards, the Australian equivalent of the Grammys.
The Australian rapper was named Best Artist, and also scored the Best Pop Release award for “Stay,” his hit collaboration with Justin Bieber.
While accepting his Best Artist award, LAROI, born Charlton Howard, said, “How good is Australian music? It’s incredible that I’m getting this much love, especially from home. That means to world to me.”
He added, “Starting this, all I wanted to do was just bring up the culture, and show the world how Australian music was. Shout-out to every one of you guys out there who’s been supporting it. I’ll be back next year on tour and I can’t wait to see you guys. I love you.”
LAROI was presented with the award by Australian journalist Brooke Boney, who, like LAROI, is Kamilaroi, one of the four largest Indigenous nations of Australia. Earlier this month, LAROI was also named Best Artist at Australia’s National Indigenous Music Awards.
Lady Gaga‘s previous collaboration with Tony Bennett, the album Cheek to Cheek, won them a Grammy, so it’s no surprise that their new joint album, Love for Sale, has been nominated as well.
Well, it’s a surprise to Gaga, evidently.
Reacting to the news that the project — which has been announced as Bennett’s final album — received six Grammy nominations on Tuesday, Gaga wrote on Instagram, “I am stunned and shocked and beyond grateful. I don’t know what to say. I just keep crying and am utterly speechless. This means so much to me, @itstonybennett, the Bennetts, my family, jazz music, and the great Cole Porter who wrote all these timeless classics.”
Gaga also said she congratulated Bennett, who has Alzheimer’s, on the nominations and revealed, “He could track every word I was saying and understood the world was celebrating him and celebrating jazz — a genre that embodies the joy, abundance and imagination of Black music throughout history.”
“This album happened because it was Tony’s idea and I made him a promise that we would make it and we did,” she continued. “At 95 years old, he has more nominations than ever, I’m so honored to be his companion in music and his friend.”
“Believe in love and partnership, even with 60 years between us, and Alzheimer’s, there is nothing like the magic of music,” Gaga concluded. “I love you Tony, and the world loves you too. How could they not?”
Love for Sale was nominated for Album of the Year and Traditional Pop Album of the Year, while “I Get a Kick Out of You,” one of its tracks, is up for Record of the Year, among other categories.
(NEW YORK) — The White House announcement Tuesday that the U.S is taking the rare step of releasing oil from the nation’s strategic reserve in an attempt to lower gas prices comes as inflation-battered Americans are feeling the pinch at the pump ahead of Thanksgiving travel.
While the news could bring relief of five to 15 cents per gallon in the coming days and weeks, industry experts told ABC News, they remain skeptical about whether the move will ease longer-term pressures in the oil market and concerned over how oil producers could punitively respond.
The announcement that the U.S. will disperse 50 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — a complex of four sites with deep underground storage caverns created in salt domes along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts — comes as gas prices hover near a seven-year-high for this time of year, largely due to supply-demand imbalances wrought by the pandemic. The White House is taking action, meanwhile, amid soaring gas prices seen as hurting President Joe Biden’s approval ratings.
“It’s very much political,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at the fuel price-tracking site GasBuddy, told ABC News of the release. “We’ve never used the Strategic Petroleum Reserve merely to to bring prices down.”
The 50 million barrels of oil the U.S. plans to release represents about one-twelfth of the total in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Historically, the U.S. has tapped into this reserve in response to immediate disruptions in oil supply, like hurricanes.
“The SPR has historically been there as a strategic use in case of disruption,” DeHaan added. “It presents a bit of a slippery slope that now it’s going to be used politically, to improve a candidate’s reelectability or potential.”
“That’s why Biden feels so much pressure, Americans are feeling pressure, gas prices are at their highest they’ve been this time of year in seven years,” he said. “But it also puts the nation at further risk in case OPEC decides it wants to cut oil production or, in fact, the increase from the SPR could draw OPEC’s ire and cause them to lower the restoration of oil production.”
A senior administration official, citing a low global supply of oil that is contributing to driving up fuel costs, said the decision was made to ease costs on American consumers as pressures between demand and the easing of the pandemic create unique conditions.
During remarks on Tuesday, Biden said he was “announcing that the largest ever release from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help provide the supply we need as we recover from this pandemic.”
“This coordinated action will help us deal with the lack of supply, which in turn helps ease prices,” the president said. “It will take time, but before long, you should see the price of gas drop where you fill up your tank.”
As the global economy recovers from the COVID-19 shock, oil demand is surging and more travelers are hitting the road and taking flights, causing demand for gas — and prices — to rise at a rapid clip. At the same time, the supply and production of oil has not kept up with increased demand. OPEC+, a conglomerate of the world’s biggest oil producers, has resisted repeated calls by the White House to boost global production.
“At the end of the day, this is a short-term Band-Aid,” said Jeff Kilburg, the chief investment officer at Sanctuary Wealth, told ABC News.
He added crude oil prices have come down in recent weeks, in part in anticipation of an announcement that the U.S. and other countries would tap into oil reserves. But after the White House formalized the news Tuesday, crude futures actually traded higher.
“This was a surprise that everyone saw coming,” Kilburg said.
Longer-term price drops are more dependent on boosting global oil production, he added.
President Biden, meanwhile, put the blame on “gas supply companies” for the prices at the pump staying elevated.
“The fact is the price of oil was already dropping prior to this announcement and many suggest in anticipation of the announcement,” Biden said during his Tuesday remarks. “The price of gasoline in the wholesale market has fallen by about 10% over the last few weeks. But the price at the pump hasn’t budged a penny. In other words, gas supply companies are paying less and making a lot more. And they do not seem to be passing that on to the consumers at the pump.”
How and when will this affect gas prices?
Typically, prices at the pump lag crude oil prices by a couple of weeks, but GasBuddy’s DeHaan said speculation that this announcement was coming had already been driving crude oil prices down over the past week.
DeHaan said he expects this announcement to bring down gas prices by some five to 15 cents per gallon depending on the state, and most Americans should start seeing this at the pump “in the next couple of days” or weeks at most.
As of Tuesday, the national average gas price in the U.S. was $3.403 per gallon for regular gas, according to American Automobile Association data. A week ago, that figure was $3.411, a month ago it was $3.382, and a year ago — as the pandemic raged — it was $2.109.
This relief Americans will see as a result of this announcement, however, will likely be “underwhelming,” according to DeHaan, and not a long-term solution.
“I’m not sure that national [gas price] average will drop as much as what Biden had intended or hoped for,” he said.
DeHaan also said there was some “accounting maneuvers” being used in that of the 50 million barrels released, 32 million barrels are going to be “exchanged.”
“That is, oil companies can take delivery now and it’s like an ‘IOU,’ they have to replenish them later,” he said. “Which is not necessarily an outright gain to supply because they have to replenish that.”
The biggest threat of this announcement is that OPEC+ has already hinted at the fact that it may limit future production increases to offset the U.S. and other countries strategic reserve releases, DeHaan added.
“Prior to this SPR announcement, I would have expected that OPEC increases in production that they’ve been doing monthly would have brought meaningful relief by early- to mid-2022,” DeHaan said. “But now, I think that might be threatened if OPEC responds.”
