Lauren Alaina may now be Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, as the title of her third album suggests — but that wasn’t always the case.
In fact, she candidly admits the title track was inspired by her struggles over the last few years.
“The chorus says ‘life of the party,'” she explains, “and I’ve always been the life of the party. And the last few years have had quite a few upsets. I lost two pretty significant relationships very publicly, and lost my step dad, and then this pandemic. And they were just a lot of things that had kind of happened in the whole time.”
“I was on Dancing with the Stars, I was on tour,” she continues. “I was the girl that makes everybody smile and laugh. And I was oftentimes kind of drowning in my emotions. Everybody saw me on stage, but behind the curtain, I was struggling.”
Eventually, “On Top of the World,” would come to mean even more to Lauren.
“I wrote that song about that, and it felt really representative of the rest of the songs,” she says. “And then the title now for me is just really empowering-sounding.”
“And I’ve found so much healing and I’ve gotten myself into such a great place emotionally that that title feels really representative of how I feel now,” she adds.
Sitting Pretty on Top of the World features Lauren’s latest hit with Jon Pardi, “Getting Over Him.” September 11, she stars in the new Hallmark Channel movie Roadhouse Romance, ahead of the arrival of her new book, Getting Good at Being You, in November.
The 1996 BMW 750iL carrying slain rapper Tupac Shakur the night he was shot to death in Las Vegas 25 years ago on Tuesday is up for sale for a cool $1.7 million, according to TMZ.
The bullet holes have since been repaired and the Bimmer has been restored to its original condition, according to the gossip website.
The car is currently on display at the Celebrity Cars Las Vegas showroom — not too far from where the fatal shooting took place.
Death Row Records co-founder and CEO Suge Knight was at the wheel on September 7, 1996, when another vehicle pulled alongside them and opened fire, hitting Shakur, seated on the passenger side, multiple times with .40 caliber rounds. Knight was grazed by the bullets.
The “Hit Em Up” rapper was rushed to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he was pronounced dead six days later on the 13th.
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has premiered a new song called “Long Way.”
The track was produced by Ozzy Osbourne‘s Ordinary Man collaborator Andrew Watt, who’s also worked with artists including Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Dua Lipa.
You can download “Long Way” now via digital outlets. It will also be available as seven-inch vinyl single including another new Vedder solo tune, “The Haves.”
Along with the new song, Vedder has also announced the title of his next solo record: Earthling. The album is Vedder’s first full-length solo effort since 2011’s UkuleleSongs.
More recently, Vedder contributed new music to the film Flag Day, which premiered in August. The soundtrack also includes the debut songs from Vedder’s daughter, Olivia.
Meghan Trainor‘s son, Riley, isn’t even a year old yet, but the Grammy-winning singer is already planning on expanding her family…a lot.
Speaking to E! News’ Daily Pop on Tuesday, Meghan revealed, “I’m working on my health and my fitness. I just want to focus on my body again and then get super-pregnant.”
She added, “I’m hoping for twins next time. I just want to get, like, two in one done! I want a baby girl. I’d love a baby boy, but I want Riley to have a sister.”
That’s no surprise, given Meghan’s close relationship with her brother Ryan: As previously reported, the two are hosting a new podcast called Workin’ on It that premieres September 15. Meghan’s also gearing up for the debut of her two TV shows: Top Chef Family Style, which she’s hosting, arrives on Thursday on Peacock; while Clash of the Cover Bands, which she’s judging, premieres on E! on October 13.
With that kind of schedule, you might think Meghan has bitten off more than she can chew, but she says she’s constantly surrounded by family — including Riley — and her team, which helps her cope with the pressure.
“They literally get me through every day and they help me realize how fun and awesome my jobs are at time when I feel stressed out or overwhelmed,” she explains. “I love being a working mom and just being a boss queen.”
After postponing a series of U.S. concerts because founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons both tested positive for COVID-19, KISS has confirmed that it will relaunch its End of the World farewell tour with a show this Thursday, September 9, in Irvine, California.
According to a statement from the band, doctors advised that the trek was safe to resume after Stanley and Simmons quarantined for 10 days.
Meanwhile, five of the postponed shows have been rescheduled for late October at the tail end of the 2021 U.S. leg of the outing.
An August 29 concert in Atlanta has been moved to October 10; an August 26 show in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, now will take place on October 13; a September 1 performance in Clarkston, Michigan, has been moved to October 15; a September 4 gig in Tinley Park, Illinois, has been rescheduled for October 16; and a September 2 concert in Dayton, Ohio, has been rescheduled for October 17.
Two other concerts delayed because the KISS members’ COVID diagnoses, originally scheduled for August 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and September 5 in Milwaukee, will be made up sometime in 2022, as will an August 22 concert in Hartford, Connecticut — a date that was postponed because of the effects of Hurricane Henri.
Tickets that were purchased for the postponed concerts will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Additional details will be emailed to ticketholders.
Visit KISSOnline.com to check out the band’s full schedule.
TikTok stars don’t get any bigger than Charli D’Amelio. The teen is the most followed person on the social media platform and she and her sister, Dixie, are the focus of the new Hulu docuseries The D’Amelio Show, which they hope shows a different side of the family.
So, what made Charli let the cameras into her family’s home? She tells ABC Audio, “I feel like it was important to not only me, but the whole family to lead the narrative. Everyone has been telling us who we are, has been telling the world who we are, and we’ve never really been able to tell our story from our perspective and our truth…it’s important for us to really show the ins and outs of, we have no idea how to do this and we’re just trying to figure it out.”
The series follows Charli, 17, and her 20-year-old sister Dixie as they navigate their newfound fame — and the hate that comes with it.
“If we’re going to do this and we’re going to get the negative sides of it, then let’s get the full experience of the positives and every new thing that we get to try, a new opportunity, a new fun activity that we get to do,” she explains. “Like, what’s the point of not doing it? They’re going to hate no matter what.”
However, that’s not going to stop the TikTok stars from posting about their lives, according to Dixie, who says, “This isn’t going to last forever and we know that. So why should we stop ourselves from enjoying the moment?”
“It’s when people stop hating, you should be worried. That’s kind of how I think we’ve both been feeling recently,” she adds.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 2
Texas 3, Arizona 1
LA Angels 2, San Diego 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 3, Cleveland 0
Baltimore 7, Kansas City 3
Toronto 5, NY Yankees 1
Tampa Bay 12, Boston 7
Houston 5, Seattle 4
Chi White Sox 6, Oakland 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 4, Chi Cubs 3
Atlanta 8, Washington 5
NY Mets 9, Miami 4
Milwaukee 10, Philadelphia 0
LA Dodgers 7, St. Louis 2
San Francisco 12, Colorado 3
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 83, Dallas 56
Seattle 105, Washington 71
Britney Spears‘ father, Jamie Spears, has filed to end the conservatorship of the pop star’s estate that has been in place since 2008, according to multiple sources.
Jamie Spears filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court to terminate the legal agreement, which gave him control over his daughter’s financial decisions. According to the documents, the elder Spears said his daughter will not need to undergo psychological evaluation in order to terminate the conservatorship — a request Britney made in June.
“The conservatorship has helped Ms. Spears get through a major life crisis, rehabilitate and advance her career, and put her finances and her affairs in order. But recently, things have changed,” the documents state. “Ms. Spears is now outspoken in her frustration with the level of control imposed by a conservatorship, and has pleaded with this Court to ‘let her have her life back.'”
Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny still has to approve Jamie Spears’ filing.
Britney’s lawyer, Matthew Rosengart, responded to last month’s filing by saying he was “pleased” by the turn of events, but noted that he will continue his “vigorous investigation into the conduct of Mr. Spears, and others, over the past 13 years,” and accused Jamie of “reaping millions of dollars from his daughter’s estate.”
Following news of the filing, Rosengart called it “a massive legal victory” and “vindication.”
“Having exposed his misconduct and plan to hold his daughter hostage by trying to extract a multi-million dollar settlement, Mr. Spears has now effectively surrendered,” he said in a statement. “There is no settlement.”
“To the extent Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath, he is incorrect and our investigation into financial mismanagement and other issues will continue,” Rosengart continued.
The move comes almost a month after Jamie Spears filed documents agreeing step down as the “Toxic” singer’s conservator.
In statements to an L.A. Superior Court judge earlier this year, Britney, 39, demanded that her father be removed from her conservatorship and accused him of being “abusive.” During her bombshell testimony, she also told JudgePenny that everyone involved in the conservatorship “should be in jail.”
Jamie Spears has denied any wrongdoing. He has not overseen his daughter’s personal affairs since 2019, when Jodi Montgomery was appointed to that role by the court. He has continued to oversee his daughter’s financial affairs.
Penny had been set to rule on a petition filed by Rosengart to remove Jamie Spears as conservator on September 29.
(GUANTANAMO BAY) — After over 560 days of delay, the drawn-out pretrial proceedings of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks got underway again on Tuesday. But it took only a matter of hours for the hearing to run into yet another speed bump.
Mohammed, the alleged architect of the terror plot, along with Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ammar al-Baluchi and Mustafa al Hawsawi, filed into the courtroom of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base’s “Camp Justice,” which hosts the military commissions, for the first time since the pandemic sidelined the military court.
Seated with their defense teams, the men talked amongst each other and appeared engaged in their cases. Mohammed, known in recent years for his vibrantly colored facial hair, sported a bright orange beard along with thick black glasses. Some of the other defendants wore paramilitary attire.
Each detainee spoke out only once during the hearing, affirming that they understood their rights. Mohammed answered “yes,” speaking in English. Bin al-Shibh also responded in English, while the other three men communicated through translators.
While Mohammed has a reputation for courtroom outbursts, in a twist, it was the judge who became the central focus of the day’s hearing.
As part of his debut on the bench in the proceedings, Col. Matthew McCall — who was named to preside over the case last month — conducted a review of his qualifications, opening himself up for questions from the prosecution and the defense.
One of Mohammed’s attorneys, Gary Sowards, latched on to McCall’s circuitous route to his appointment. McCall was initially selected to oversee the trial last year, but withdrew after prosecutors objected, citing his lack of experience. He was reinstated after completing two years as a military judge, meeting the minimum requirement for the war court.
Sowards questioned McCall on whether the prosecution’s complaints had resulted in undue influence over the judiciary, resulting in his temporary removal from the case. The defense argued that this allowed for another judge to step in and — after a prolonged legal fight — authorize the destruction of a CIA black site, a secret international prison where terror suspects were subjected to “enhanced interrogation tactics” like waterboarding, which many human rights organizations consider to be torture.
During the questioning, McCall remained level, describing the situation as legally ambiguous in his estimation, but went along with the withdrawal to avoid complicating an already very complicated case.
“Why create an appellate issue? There are other judges who could do this case,” he said.
But moments later, the prosecution interrupted, informing the bench of a newly issued Military Commission Review on the exact topic of discussion. It determined that McCall could preside, but that all of the decisions he made before clocking two years of experience would be undone — leaving only the ruling on the destruction of the black site in place.
McCall dismissed the court several hours ahead of schedule to allow both sides to regroup and strategize.
But James Connell, a civilian death penalty attorney representing al-Baluchi, needed little time to process the information.
“One of the most important issues in the case is how the torture of these men is going to ultimately affect the trial and trials mean evidence,” Connell told reporters on the base. “The intentional destruction of evidence takes away from the defense and really the American people, information about what actually happened.”
Connell said the defense plans to appeal the order, but lamented yet another delay in a trial that’s dragged on for nearly a decade.
“This order is one more example of why this process takes so long, because each issue has to be separately litigated,” he continued. “Things come up in this military commission that never come up anywhere else. Where else in the world does the Pentagon issue an order telling a judge how to decide a case? It just doesn’t happen anywhere else except here at Guantanamo.”
The Black Crowes will wind down their 30th anniversary Shake Your Money Maker tour later this month, and the veteran rockers will follow the trek with a special two-night Las Vegas engagement on November 18 and 19 at the House of Blues.
The residency shows, dubbed The Black Crowes Present: Shake Your Money Maker, will feature the band playing its 1990 debut album in its entirety, along with select hits and other tunes from the group’s back catalog. The Black Crowes’ other 30th anniversary concerts have featured a similar set list.
Tickets for the Las Vegas shows go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets for a Black Crowes band pre-sale are available now, while a Live Nation pre-sale starts on Wednesday, September 8, at 10 a.m. PT.
Shake Your Money Maker was released in February 1990 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. It featured two top-40 hits — a cover of Otis Redding‘s “Hard to Handle” and the original ballad “She Talks to Angels” — as well as fan favorites “Jealous Again” and “Twice as Hard.” The album has sold more than five million copies in the U.S. A deluxe, expanded reissue of Shake Your Money Maker was released in February.
The Black Crowes’ current tour is mapped out through a September 25 show in Bethel, New York. Visit TheBlackCrowes.com for the band’s full schedule.
