Former Flyleaf frontwoman Lacey Sturm has released a new solo single called “Awaken Love.”
The track was co-written by Skillet‘s Korey Cooper. You can download it now via digital outlets.
“Awaken Love” is Sturm’s second song of 2021, following February’s “State of Me.” She released her first and, so far, only solo album, Life Screams, in 2016.
Sturm sang on Flyleaf’s first three albums before leaving the group in 2012. She was replaced by vocalist Kristen May, who then left Flyleaf in 2016. The band’s been on hiatus since.
AJR‘s Adam Met is certainly ending 2021 with a “Bang!”
The oldest member of the brother trio has earned his PhD from the U.K.’s University of Birmingham. The band announced the news in a tweet Thursday, alongside a photo of Adam holding a copy of his thesis, which is titled Stakeholder Approaches to Human Rights and Development in the Commercial Context.
“Introducing…Dr. Adam Met,” the caption reads. “After years of study, he officially has his PhD.”
Adam’s academic pursuits were previously highlighted in a 2019 New York Timesarticle, which mentioned he was “PhD candidate in international human rights law.”
In addition to officially becoming a Doctor of Philosophy this year, Adam’s 2021 included releasing the new AJR album OK ORCHESTRA, which dropped in March. The record includes the singles “Bang!” and “Way Less Sad.”
Carrie Underwood’s 2020 Christmas album, My Gift, is on a roll as it heads into its second holiday season. The record, along with its deluxe Special Edition iteration, has notched RIAA Gold certification, with over 300 million global streams to date.
Meanwhile, Carrie’s 2020 holiday special is airing once again this year, streaming on HBO Max, and she’s spreading plenty of seasonal cheer across a number of new televised performances, too.
Carrie’s joining John Legend for the season finale of NBC’s The Voice, where they’ll perform their original holiday song, “Hallelujah,” which appears on My Gift’s track list. Next up, the singer is on the bill for the “Opry Live: USO Holiday Special,” followed by a December 23 headlining appearance at Australia’s “Woolworths Carols in the Domain” and a Christmas Eve performance on NBC’s TODAY.
That’s in addition to the several Christmas-themed performances Carrie’s already given so far in 2021. She performed another song off My Gift during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and she was also part of the CMA Country Christmas lineup this year.
Plus, Carrie contributed a brand-new track to fans’ stockings this year with the release of her song, “Stretchy Pants,” a light-hearted ode to holiday over-eating.
A Washington home where Kurt Cobain spent part of his childhood is up for sale.
Located at 413 S Fleet Street in the city of Montesano, the house costs $279,000, and includes over 1,600 square feet of living space.
According to Rolling Stone, the realty team behind the sale didn’t initially realize the history of the address, where Cobain had lived from 1978 to 1982 with his father, Don.
“None of us knew it was until the photographer [Alicia Tisdale] took a picture of it,” realtor Colt Fairley tells Rolling Stone. “She knows Aberdeen pretty well. She was like, ‘Oh my god, this is Kurt Cobain’s house.’ His dad, Donald, tried to make the entire house into a ship.”
You can check out the listing via the site Redfin.com. But if you’re thinking of making a move, the realtor notes that they’ve already received three offers.
It was surprising enough that Elton John scored a number-one single this year, but now he’s racked up two.
“Merry Christmas,” Elton’s duet with Ed Sheeran, has topped the U.K. singles chart. It’s Elton’s second song to lead that chart in 2021, following his Dua Lipa duet “Cold Heart.”
However, Elton and Ed may soon find themselves competing with themselves to hold onto the top spot on the chart. The reason why is pretty complicated, but here goes.
It’s a huge deal in the U.K. to have the song that’s number-one on Christmas Day. Each year, the competition for the “Christmas Number One” slot is intense.
For the past three years, a husband-and-wife duo billed as LadBaby have scored the Christmas number one with novelty songs about food — specifically, sausage rolls. They donate the proceeds from the songs to the Trussell Trust, a charity that’s trying to end hunger in the U.K.
Now, Ed and Elton have teamed up with LadBaby to record a new song and video called “Sausage Rolls for Everyone” — a reworking of “Merry Christmas” with food-based lyrics. As before, 100% of the song’s profits will go to charity.
The song comes out next Friday, and the U.K. Christmas Number One will be announced December 24, so it just may come down to a battle between Ed and Elton’s original, and “Sausage Rolls for Everyone”
LadBaby said in a statement to the U.K.’s Official Charts Company, “Ed and Elton are pop royalty and they’ve both had huge success at Christmas, so we’re honored and excited to be coming together to help families this Christmas.”
“It’s time to bring back some Christmas magic with the power of sausage rolls!” Elton notes.
(SPOILERS AHEAD) Sex and the City fans were served a major surprise at the end of the first episode of the new sequel series, And Just Like That…
Mr. Big, husband to Sarah Jessica Parker‘s Carrie Bradshaw, shockingly dies of a heart attack after an intense workout on a Peloton bike. Having suffered from heart-related issues throughout the series, Carrie returns home to find that Big had collapsed in the shower, and he dies in her arms.
That scene has prompted Peloton to respond publicly, apparently to disabuse anyone of the notion it was their bike that caused his demise.
“I’m sure SATC fans, like me, are saddened by the news that Mr. Big dies of a heart attack,” Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, member of Peloton’s Health & Wellness Advisory Council, tells Entertainment Weeklyin a statement. “Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle — including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks — and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in season 6.”
Steinbaum goes on: “These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.”
And Just Like That… premiered on HBO Max on Thursday. The 10-episode series airs through February 3.
Donnie Wahlberg roasted wife Jenny McCarthy after she seemingly belted out a song during the most recent episode of The Masked Singer.
For those wondering if those soaring vocals really belonged to the 49-year-old actress, Donnie claims his wife doesn’t possess that particular talent.
“Dear @MaskedSingerFOX, I will confirm that @JennyMcCarthy can’t really sing like this,” he tweeted out on Thursday. He then took a swipe at Ken Jeong, who also serves as judge on the singing competition series, when announcing that Jenny could “probably sing better” than him, but “barely.”
The New Kids on the Block singer concluded, “I won’t confirm if it’s @carrieunderwood wearing a @JennyMcCarthy mask or if @JennyMcCarthy’s miming @carrieunderwood’s voice.”
Jenny later admitted that she wasn’t actually singing in the now-viral clip and that she had stolen Carrie Underwood‘s vocals.
“Did you guess whose voice this was? Hint: She has THE MOST beautiful voice in the world. It’s the amazing, insanely talented @carrieunderwood She so FREAKING talented! Love you girl!,” she tweeted.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
The legacy of the late Tupac Shakur is being celebrated with a new Immortal Collection NFT series inspired by his personal jewelry.
The collection consists of four pieces: the “Artist,” which is represented by his 2PAC ring; the “Activist,” symbolized by his Makaveli bracelet; the “Sinner” solitaire diamond ring; and the “Saint,” which is represented by the Euphanasia medallion necklace Shakur wore in the last photo ever taken of him in 1996.
“Tupac’s belief that everyone has the right to express themselves honestly through whichever art form they saw fit includes everything from music, to acting, from writing to dance, from photography and culinary art to self-expression through fashion,” the estate says in a statement, according to Complex.com. “For Tupac, this included his choice of jewelry. In the last year of his life, he had the luxury of not just affording higher-end items, but he started to design them himself, down to the smallest details.”
The NFTs, the first authorized by the Shakur Estate, will be available December 15 on the Makers Place digital art market. The collection provides a sneak peek at some of the items that will be displayed at the “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free” exhibit, which will open January 21, 2022 at The Canvas @ L.A. Live in Los Angeles.
The film follows Statham’s Orson Fortune, an elite spy who is tasked with stopping billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds, played by Hugh Grant, from selling deadly technological weaponry that would wreak havoc across the globe.
In true Statham fashion, the trailer shows him fighting crime with plenty of explosions, action sequences and his signature growl. “As a private contractor, you possess a unique set of skills,” a voice over says in the beginning, followed by shots of Statham taking down a team of criminals in an elevator.
The supporting cast of Grant, Josh Hartnett, Aubrey Plaza and Cary Elwes are also seen in action, Josh starring as Danny Francesco, a movie megastar tasked with going undercover and infiltrating Simmonds’ empire, with Aubrey also taking part in Statham’s crime-fighting team.
Operation Fortune is co-written and directed by Guy Ritchie. It’s set to premiere on January 21.
Harry Styles is seeing a lot of green, and it’s not because it’s the holidays. Billboardreports that the “Adore You” singer is rolling in the money — $95 million to be exact — from his Love on Tour.
Harry wrapped his 42-stop outing November 28, on which he sold over 719,000 tickets in the U.S., adding a lush $94.7 million to his bank account. Billboard further estimates he sold about 17,100 tickets per show, which earned him roughly $2.25 million a night.
These numbers eclipse his first headlining tour, Harry Styles: Live on Tour, which ran for 80 dates and grossed $63 million.
New York City earned Harry the most money on his latest tour. A five-night run at Madison Square Garden moved over 93,000 tickets, earning Harry $13.8 million. He also enjoyed a strong showing in Los Angeles after selling more than 50,000 tickets across his three show-stay at The Forum. That put an extra $6.6 million in his pockets.
Billboard estimates Harry’s stops in Nashville, Atlanta and Chicago raked in $4 million each. His final bow at Long Island’s UBS Arena was his highest-grossing single-night concert, selling more than $3.2 million in tickets.
The British singer is next set to take over the Capital One Beach Bash on December 30 at South Beach, Florida’s Lummus Park. The show is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance starting Tuesday, December 21 on the Orange Bowl’s website.
