Prince was honored this week on the 14th anniversary of a record-setting residency in England.
The Purple Rain star performed a record 21 shows in September 2007 at the famed O2 venue in London. To commemorate his historic accomplishment, a special custom artwork featuring the trademark symbol he used as his name in 2016 has been unveiled.
“The Prince shows at The O2 in 2007 were legendary and undoubtedly helped to cement The O2 as one of the most iconic venues in the world,” Steve Sayer, vice president and general manager of the venue, said in a statement. “Fans and employees still talk fondly about those amazing nights.”
He continued, “On the anniversary of the final show that Prince played at The O2, we are excited to present this beautiful key to The Prince Estate and are proud to unveil one backstage at the venue as part of the ’21 Club’ display.”
A second version of the artwork will be proudly displayed Prince’s Paisley Park complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
The “21 Club” celebrates stars who, like Prince, performed 21 shows or more in a residency at The O2.
Only seven other artists or performers have been inducted into the 21 Club: Drake; another Canadian artist, Michael Bublé; and English performers Take That, One Direction, Young Voices, Micky Flanagan and Michael McIntyre.
Notify your mama, papa and daughter: Blood Sugar Sex Magik is turning 30 years old.
Red Hot Chili Peppers released their breakout album on September 24, 1991. Spawning the hit singles in “Under the Bridge,” “Give It Away” and “Suck My Kiss,” Blood Sugar became one of the definitive albums of the ’90s alternative rock scene on its way to being certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Notably, Blood Sugar marked the second Chili Peppers album to feature guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith, who’d made their debut on 1989’s Mother’s Milk. Along with frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, they made up the band’s “classic” lineup.
“It changed a lot for [us],” Smith tells ABC Audio of Blood Sugar. “John and I had been in the band and we’d toured a bunch on Mother’s Milk and we had been in the group for awhile. We wrote all those songs, Anthony started to sing more, John was more involved in the songwriting.”
“To me, it was the first time the band actually sounded like what I thought we sounded like,” he adds.
Smith recalls feeling more focused during the Blood Sugar sessions, since the Peps recorded it themselves in a house, as opposed to a traditional recording studio.
“There were no other distractions,” he explains. “There were no other people walking around, studio secretaries or whatever. It was very insular, and we just dug right in and took advantage of that.”
Blood Sugar Sex Magik also marked RHCP’s first album with Rick Rubin in place of Mother’s Milk producer Michael Beinhorn, who often clashed with the band. Rubin then produced every Peppers album up until their most recent effort, 2016’s The Getaway.
“That was the beginning, obviously, of a long relationship with [Rubin],” Smith says.
The U.S. normally ignores the Eurovision Song Contest, but two recent winners are actually on the charts: 2019’s Duncan Laurence with “Arcade,” and this year’s Måneskin, with “Beggin.'” Duncan met Måneskin at the Eurovision semi-finals, where he says he correctly predicted their win.
“I told them they were going to win, and they did,” says Duncan. “I saw them perform, and I was like, ‘You guys are going to win.'”
“I really love them,” he says of the Italian rockers, whose name means “Moonlight” in Danish. “They stand for so many things I stand for. I think they’re this new wave of power that Eurovision, but also the world, needs.”
As a past winner, Duncan says Måneskin were eager to get pointers from him.
“It was funny because I walked in and they were humming my song, ‘Arcade,'” he laughs.
“And then they actually asked, ‘Are there any tip[s]?’ And I was, like, ‘No, because I saw you on stage and you’re so great,'” says Duncan. “‘You’re so different from me. I have no idea what I could possibly say that would benefit you. So, no, just do your own thing.’ And I think that’s the most important tip you can give anyone, actually.
So, does Duncan feel he’s leading a trend of future Eurovision winners conquering the U.S. charts?
“I hope so!” says the Dutch singer. “I mean, that was the dream: for me to go to Eurovision and…show the world that [it’s]…a platform where starting artists or, in the case with Måneskin, who were very famous already in Europe and Italy, to become bigger and show the world, ‘This is what we’re made of, and this is who we are, and this is what we want to do.’ So I’m very proud.”
Elton John is thrilled that “Cold Heart,” his collaboration with Dua Lipa and the electronic dance duo PNAU, is doing so well on the charts, but he says landing the “Levitating” singer for the record wasn’t a forgone conclusion, even though they’d collaborated in the past.
“The Dua record happened because PNAU gave me the track, which I loved, but I didn’t want to sing the ‘Rocket Man’ [part] there, because I’d sung it so many times,” Elton tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “Cold Heart” is based around samples of four Elton songs: “Rocket Man,” “Sacrifice,” “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s the Shoorah?”
“I thought it would be great if someone else sang that,” he notes. “And I’ve gotten to know Dua because she did our Oscar party this year and we became friends. She was in L.A. in May, and [my husband David and I] took her to dinner…and David said to her, ‘Listen, think about it. I’ll send you the track. You got to play it loud by the pool.'”
Elton continues, “She phoned us up [and said,] ‘I’m in.’ And that was the icing on the cake. She is probably…one of the most successful artists in the world at the moment…And it just was a stroke of luck.”
While Elton has had dozens of hits in his 50-year career, he tells Zane that “Cold Heart” is special because, as he puts it, “I haven’t had a genuine hit for a long, long time because I haven’t made genuine hit records. I haven’t set out to make them.”
“Cold Heart” is Elton’s his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2000, his first top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart since 2005 and his first song to hit Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart since 1998.
The Pretenders‘ classic 1979 self-titled debut album and its 1981 follow-up, Pretenders II, will both be reissued on November 5 as deluxe three-CD sets.
Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde curated both releases, which will feature remastered versions of the original albums by producer Chris Thomas, demos, rarities, live performances and more.
The deluxe edition of the Pretenders reissue features B-sides, demos, two BBC sessions from 1979, and songs recorded at concerts in London in January 1979 and Boston in March 1980.
The Pretenders II deluxe reissue will feature demos, single edits, alternate versions and outtakes, and live tunes recorded at shows in New York’s Central Park in August 1980 and in Santa Monica, California, in September 1981.
Both deluxe reissues will come packaged with a high-quality book featuring new liner notes and a variety of rare and unseen photos.
Limited-edition colored vinyl LPs of Pretenders and Pretenders II, pressed on red and white vinyl, respectively, also will be released. Visit Rhino.com for pre-order details.
The Pretenders’ self-titled debut, which was released in December 1979, reached #9 on the Billboard 200. It featured the band’s first stateside hit, “Brass in Pocket,” as well as several other enduring songs, including “Precious,” “Kid” and “Mystery Achievement” and the group’s memorable cover of The Kinks‘ “Stop Your Sobbing.”
Pretenders II, which arrived in August of ’81, reached #10 on the Billboard 200 and included the popular tunes “Talk of the Town” and “Message of Love.”
The albums were the only two full-length records by the band to feature the original lineup of Hynde, drummer Martin Chambers, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. Sadly, Honeyman-Scott and Farndon died of drug-related causes in June 1982 and April 1983, respectively.
Here’s the track list of Pretenders — Deluxe Edition:
CD 1: Original Album & B-Sides
Original Album
“Precious”
“The Phone Call”
“Up the Neck”
“Tattooed Love Boys”
“Space Invader”
“The Wait”
“Stop Your Sobbing”
“Kid”
“Private Life”
“Brass in Pocket”
“Lovers of Today”
“Mystery Achievement”
B-Sides
“Cuban Slide”
“Porcelain”
“The Wait” (Nick Lowe Version)
“Nervous but Shy”
“Swinging London”
CD 2: Demos & BBC In Studio
Demos
“The Phone Call”
“Suicide”*
“Brass in Pocket”
“Precious”
“The Wait”
“I Can’t Control Myself”
“Stop Your Sobbing”
“Tequila”
“Kid”
“I Go to Sleep”*
“Do I Love You”*
BBC In Session: The Kid Jensen Show, February 5, 1979
“The Wait”*
“Up the Neck”*
“Stop Your Sobbing”*
“Private Life”*
“Cuban Slide”*
BBC In Session: The Kid Jensen Show, July 2, 1979
“Mystery Achievement”
“I Need Somebody”
“Tattooed Love Boys”*
CD3: Live
BBC In Session: Live at The Paris Theatre, London, January 2, 1979
“The Wait”*
“Stop Your Sobbing”*
“Kid”*
“Cuban Slide”*
“Brass in Pocket*
“Tattooed Love Boys*
“Mystery Achievement*
Warner Bros. Music Show: Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23, 1980
“Space Invader”**
“The Wait”**
“Precious”
“Kid”**
“Private Life”**
“Cuban Slide”**
“The Phone Call”*
“Talk of the Town”**
“Tattooed Love Boys”
“Up the Neck”**
“Mystery Achievement”**
“Stop Your Sobbing”**
And here’s the track list of Pretenders II — Deluxe Edition:
CD 1: Original Album
“The Adultress”
“Bad Boys Get Spanked”
“Message of Love”
“I Go to Sleep”
“Birds of Paradise”
“Talk of the Town”
“Pack It Up”
“Waste Not Want Not”
“Day After Day”
“Jealous Dogs”
“The English Roses”
“Louie Louie”
CD2: Studio Demos, Singles & Alternates
“Talk of the Town” (Demo)
“What You Gonna Do About It”
“I Go to Sleep” (Guitar Version — Outtake)
“Pack It Up” (Radio Mix — Outtake)
“Day After Day” (Single Mix)
“In the Sticks”
“Louie Louie” (Monitor Mix)*
Live in Central Park, New York City, August 30, 1980
“Precious”
“Space Invader”*
“Cuban Slide”*
“Porcelain”*
“Tattooed Love Boys”*
“Up the Neck”*
CD 3: Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4, 1981
“The Wait”
“The Adultress”
“Message of Love”
“Louie Louie”
“Talk of the Town”
“Birds of Paradise”
“The English Roses”
“Stop Your Sobbing”
“Private Life”
“Kid”
“Day After Day”
“Up the Neck”
“Bad Boys Get Spanked”
“Tattooed Love Boys”*
“Precious”*
“Brass in Pocket”
“Mystery Achievement”*
“Higher and Higher”
The Connors kicked off its fourth season with a live episode that took every opportunity to take advantage of the situation. The show capped off with a touching tribute to comedian Norm MacDonald, who died last week at the age of 61 after a long, private battle with cancer.
The episode, titled “Trucking Live in Front of a Fully Vaccinated Studio Audience,” began with star and executive producer Sara Gilbert announcing, “Oh, The Connors is live in front of a studio vaccinated audience.”
“Wait, what?” co-star Laurie Metcalf, appearing shocked, added, before the two of them joined the opening scene, already in progress.
One storyline featured Mark — the youngest son of Gilbert’s Darleen, played by Ames McNamara — working on a school project in which he made video calls to distant relatives to collect information to determine how much of a role genetics play in a person’s decision-making.
Those relatives were winners of a sweepstakes to appear on the show and only found out they won when their phones rang, live on the air.
The premiere also continued one of last season’s storylines, in which Darlene tries to navigate hurdles in her relationship with Ben, played by Jay R. Ferguson.
Darlene, trying to salvage their relationship, proved her commitment to him by putting a deposit down on an apartment, which provided another opportunity to break the fourth wall, when the camera followed Gilbert as she ran from one set to the other to find him.
“Better run, it’s a lot further than you think,” warned Metcalf. “It’s the set opposite Wellman’s Plastics.”
“Look at her go,” co-star John Goodman added.
The episode ended with the cast, seated on the show’s iconic sofa, holding up a sign that read, “Dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague, Norm MacDonald.”
Influential filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whom many consider the godfather of modern Black cinema, has died at age 89.
On behalf of his family, The Criterion Collection and Janus Films confirmed his passing in a statement posted Wednesday.
“In an unparalleled career distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape through his films, novels, plays and music,” the statement reads.
It continues, “His work continues to be essential and is being celebrated at the New York Film Festival this weekend with a 50th anniversary screening of his landmark film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song; a Criterion Collection box set, Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, next week; and a revival of his play Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death, slated for a return to Broadway next year.”
Van Peebles’ son, actor-director Mario Van Peebles, adds in the statement, “Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”
We are saddened to announce the passing of a giant of American cinema, Melvin Van Peebles, who died last night, at home with family, at the age of 89. In an unparalleled career, Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape. He will be deeply missed. pic.twitter.com/HpciXXVoYo
Founding Romantics guitarist Mike Skill has announced updated plans for his debut solo album, Skill…Mike Skill, which now will be released on October 8 after it initially was slated to arrive on September 10.
The record features 12 tracks, including Mike’s recently released new version of The Romantics’ 1980 power-pop classic “What I Like About You.”
Skill, who co-wrote “What I Like About You” with original Romantics drummer Jimmy Marinos, teamed up with his band’s current beat keeper, Brad Elvis, and current Flock of Seagulls drummer Kevin Rankin, for the updated rendition of the tune.
Mike recorded much of Skill…Mike Skill while The Romantics were unable to tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the tracks were inspired by the raw rock he grew up with from his hometown of Detroit.
“[I] was bursting at the seams with that Detroit energy,” Skill explains, adding, “As I was writing, I couldn’t help reflecting on the Music that came before me.”
Skill…Mike Skill also features several songs that Skill released individually as digital singles over the last few years, including “’67 Riot,” which features a guest appearance by one of his guitar idols, Wayne Kramer of The MC5.
Skill…Mike Skill was produced by Chuck Alkazian, who also has worked with Eminem and late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. You’ll be able to pre-order the album starting this Sunday, September 26.
Here’s the full track list of Skill…Mike Skill:
“Not My Business”
“Dark Side of Your Love”
“My Bad Pretty”
“Carrie Got Married”
“’67 Riot” — featuring Wayne Kramer
“We Got Your Rock’n Roll”
“Sinners Song”
“So Soul Alone”
“I Want What You Got”
“Calling”
“What I Like About You”
“One More Time”
(WASHINGTON) — Even as the Biden administration makes progress toward dispersing the large group of mostly Haitian nationals gathered in Del Rio, Texas, government officials are facing internal divisions over how the migrants have been treated.
“As we speak out against the cruel, the inhumane, and the flat out racist treatment of our Haitian brothers and sisters at the southern border we cannot and we must not look away in this moment,” Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Wednesday.
Joined by a growing chorus of Democratic leaders in Congress, Pressley was referring to the striking images of Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting migrants and snapping their reins aggressively.
Some Democrats are also calling on the Biden administration to immediately stop repatriating the Haitians back to their island nation, citing concerns about safety. As of Wednesday afternoon, officials report there were just over 5,547 migrants left in the encampment under an international bridge in the South Texas town of Del Rio, as the Biden administration scrambles to track, process and remove the group that at one point ballooned to more than 14,000 people.
Rep. Pressley on situation at U.S. southern border: “Haitian lives are Black lives, and if we truly believe that Black lives matter, then we must reverse course.”
“Despite the Administration’s rapid deployment of personnel and resources in response to this crisis, much of the strategy to address the care of these vulnerable individuals is deeply concerning,” Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson and Gregory W. Meeks said in a joint statement on Wednesday. “Specifically, we urge the Administration to halt repatriations to Haiti until the country recovers from these devastating crises.”
The Department of Homeland Security has a limited number of options after agents encounter unauthorized migrants in the border region. Some are referred to ICE custody for detention or deportation while many are released to U.S. resettlement organizations and given a future date to report or appear in court.
DHS extended temporary protections for Haitian nationals over the summer. But it only moved the deadline to apply to July 29. That means those who have arrived more recently do not qualify for the Temporary Protected Status designation even if they fled Haiti before the deadline, and thay are subject to removal under what’s called Title 42.
“We have looked at the country conditions and made a determination that in fact we can return individuals who’ve arrived,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
DHS provided a statement to ABC News Wednesday evening saying removal flights from Texas to Haiti will continue, noting that more than 1,000 migrants have already been flown back.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has rapidly expelled hundreds of thousands of migrants from the U.S. under a decades-old part of the public health code known as Title 42. These expulsions have gravely concerned immigrant advocates who say the process cuts off access to the humanitarian protections some migrants are due.
Immigration officials have cited the protocols as a necessary tool in managing the migration challenges, but resources on the border have remained strained and agents have been pushed to their limits in an attempt to manage the influx in Del Rio.
At the same time, images of the tactics used by Border Patrol agents on horseback have stirred outrage from Democrats, with some drawing connections to extremist views.
“Congress must do the work of investigating and ensuring accountability of the egregious and white supremacist behavior of border patrol agents in Del Rio Texas,” Pressley said at the Wednesday press conference.
Mayorkas addressed the images of the horse mounted patrol at the beginning of Wednesday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing and reiterated that the agents in question won’t be interacting with migrants while the agency investigates.
“The facts will drive the actions that we take,” Mayorkas said. “We ourselves will pull no punches, and we need to conduct this investigation thoroughly, but very quickly.”
“I’m unhappy, and I’m not just unhappy with the cowboys who were running down Haitians and using their reins to whip them. I’m unhappy with this administration,” Rep. Maxine Waters says at a news conference on the situation at the U.S. southern border. https://t.co/tUeqoESHTPpic.twitter.com/BuWTMs8ilf
He said he expects the investigation to wrap up “in days and not weeks.”
Mayorkas was pressed again Wednesday about providing data that explains what has happened to migrants after they’ve been arrested or detained by border officials. When asked repeatedly by Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, he declined to provide specifics or estimations, citing concerns over accuracy.
“Congressman, I want to be precise in my communication of data to the United States Congress and to you specifically having posed the question,” Mayorkas said.
White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki was also questioned Wednesday on the lack of information coming out of DHS about where the Haitian nationals are ending up, including how many have been released into the U.S.
“I certainly understand why you’re asking and understand why people have been asking Secretary Mayorkas,” Psaki said. “Those are numbers that are — the secretary — the Department of Homeland Security would have the most up-to-date numbers.”
“But why is it so hard to keep track of a simple number like that?” asked ABC News White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega. “Why can’t you give it? Why can’t he give it? It’s been two days now he’s been asked that.”
“I’m certain they will provide it. It’s an absolutely fair question to ask, and I’m certain he just wanted to have the most up-to-date numbers to provide,” Psaki responded.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to Mayorkas on Tuesday, expressing her concerns about the treatment of migrants at the hands of agents for Border Patrol, a subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security.
Mayorkas promised her an update on the investigation into the incident involving Border Patrol agents on horseback and said the department is taking its obligations to provide humanitarian support seriously, according to a readout of the conversation from the vice president’s office.
ABC News’ Kenneth Moton, Luke Barr, Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
Saweetie has been on a roll this past month with several endorsements, and now the “Icy Girl” is starring in a sexy new show on Netflix.
The “Icy Girl” will host Sex: Unzipped, a new comedy special focused on sex positivity, premiering October 26.
Saweetie will be joined by sex experts, and a crew of puppets who will humorously teach the A-B-Cs of S-E-X in what Netflix describes as their “funniest, filthiest, and furriest new comedy special.”
Saweetie’s got a lot of good things happening for her right now. Earlier this month, the MTV VMA winner was named the new MAC Cosmetics Global Ambassador during Fashion Week in New York City. She also gained a reputation as a food influencer on social media, and last week, she partnered with Hidden Valley Ranch and Crocs to create what they call the “ranchiest collab ever.” She designed an off-white clog adorned with miniature, non-edible, fries, chicken nuggets, veggies and more.
Then in August, Saweetie launched the McDonald’s “Saweetie Meal,” consisting of a Big Mac, 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries, a medium Sprite, BBQ Sauce, and “Saweetie’ N Sour” sauce.
