Elton John owns homes around the world, but when it came to his latest real-estate purchase, he didn’t have to look too far.
The real-estate website Dirt reports that Elton’s bought the home that’s right next door to his house in Beverly Hills for $8.5 million. According to Dirt, records show that the 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, single-story home, built in the ’60s, has been owned by a non-famous family for decades; they’ve faced foreclosure several times.
Buying the house allows Elton, his husband David Furnish and their two sons to expand from their current half acre to nearly a full acre of space in one of Beverly Hills’ most prestigious neighborhoods. Their current home, purchased nearly 10 years ago for $7.3 million, is 4,300 square feet.
Elton and David also own a huge estate in the U.K., and also have homes in the South of France and Venice, Italy, plus what Dirt calls a “mansion-sized condo” in Atlanta.
Plans have been unveiled for two new archival David Bowie box sets that will be released in the coming months.
One is the fifth installment in the series of expansive collections focusing on different periods in the late rock icon’s career, Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001), which is due out on November 26. The other is an expanded version of Bowie’s legendary unreleased 2001 album TOY, titled TOY (TOY:BOX), which will be issued on January 7, 2022.
Brilliant Adventure will be available as an 11-CD set, a 15-LP vinyl package and digitally. The box set includes remastered editions of five Bowie studio albums — 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, 1993’s The Buddha of Suburbia soundtrack, 1995’s 1.Outside, 1997’s Earthing and 1999’s ‘hours…’. It also includes the previously unreleased live album BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000; the Re:Call 5 compilation, featuring alternative versions, B-sides, soundtrack recordings and more; and the aforementioned TOY.
TOY features updated versions of select early Bowie songs recorded mostly live in the studio with members of his touring band at the time. David had hoped to release the album quickly but when his plan was delayed, he put the project aside and moved on to his next record, Heathen.
TOY (TOY:BOX) will be available as a three-CD set and a six-disc 10-inch vinyl collection. The package will include the originally planned album, alternative mixes of the TOY tracks and tunes intended as B-sides, and stripped-down, mostly acoustic mixes of the songs.
Daniel Craig‘s latest and last James Bond adventure, No Time to Die, hits theaters October 8, but it’s just been announced that shortly thereafter, he’ll be tackling The Bard on Broadway in William Shakespeare‘s Macbeth.
Craig will be playing the title role opposite Preacher‘s Ruth Negga as his Machiavellian Lady at the historic Lyceum Theatre in New York City starting March 29 of 2022.
According to the play’s website, “A tale of malice, matrimony and murder, Macbeth tells the story of one couple’s obsession with power — and their guilt after doing the unthinkable.” The producers promise, “this thrilling new production will capture the passion and ferocity of Shakespeare’s most haunting text like never before.”
The limited-run engagement ends on July 10 of next year.
The director of the production will be Tony winner Sam Gold, who called the shots on an Off-Broadway production of Othello that starred Craig and acclaimed Selma actor David Oyelowo in the title role.
Speaking of the famous play, Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand will be seen on the big screen in The Tragedy of Macbeth on December 25 for Oscar winning director Joel Coen.
Christine Hahn/Resorts World Las Vegas/Concerts West/AEG Presents
Katy Perry kicks off her first Las Vegas residency, Play, at Resorts World this December, and if you thought her past productions were over-the-top, well, Katy says you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Speaking to Variety, Katy says that the residency will be “Pop on ‘roids,” adding, “It is literally larger than life. Think: Super Bowl, but supersized.”
“This isn’t the next tour, next record, next era. This is an accumulation of everything I’ve been able to offer and the hits and what the people like,” she continues, adding, “It’s going to be big, colorful and it will have a level of humor to it that is probably the weirdest I’ve ever done….Its humor is dark. It’s a little wrong — but a good wrong.”
“I feel like we have the most unique show that a musician has ever brought to Vegas,” Katy concludes.
One reason Katy’s so eager to do Vegas, though, is because it fits so well into her new life as a mom to one-year-old Daisy. “I’m doing 40 shows a year,” she explains. “I’m able to see my baby. I get to take her to school. I’m also going to be able to do a lot of other things. It’s not the world tour, which I will go on eventually again, but it’s great.”
As for new music, Katy says she’s “carving away at my next sculpture,” but notes that what she’s writing “has so much love behind it.”
“That’s the driving force, which is great because I feel like I’ve written a lot from the perspective of yearning and desire and sometimes not feeling like I’m enough,” she explains. “Or I write these empowering songs to help remind myself that I am. Now it’s like a blanket of love. I’m excited.”
After a federal jury in Brooklyn, NY found R. Kelly guilty on all nine charges of racketeering and sex trafficking on Monday, his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, wonders why he wasn’t brought to justice sooner.
After the verdict was announced, Drea told Good Morning Britain, “It’s really, really sad” it took so long.
“If any of his victims were blonde and blue-eyed it wouldn’t have taken this long,” the 47-year-old said. “Women of color tend to be lowest on the totem pole when it comes to subjects of domestic violence and sexual abuse.”
Drea was married to Kelly for 13 years, and divorced him in 2009. She previously detailed years of alleged emotional and physical abuse from him that was so severe, she contemplated suicide. She has three children with her former husband: daughters Joann, 23, and Jaah, 21, and son Robert Jr., 19.
“Unlike the rest of his victims, I also share children with him. I was married to him, so I wear two hats,” Drea continued. “I wear the hat of a survivor and an advocate, but I also wear the hat of a mother and an ex-wife. So it’s very difficult for me.”
The former dancer began revealing in 2018 she was a victim of abuse, and says she came forward after so many years of silence to help other victims of domestic violence.
“My heart definitely goes out to the survivors and the courage that it takes to come forward and tell the story,” Drea added, “but my heart breaks as a mother because this is now the legacy that my children will have to deal with and their children’s children.”
R. Kelly now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, but could receive up to life in prison.
“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” turned 25 on Monday, and star Melissa Joan Hart didn’t let the milestone pass by without celebrating.
Sharing throwback photos of the cast, the 45-year-old actress took to Instagram to look back on the magical show, which also starred Caroline Rhea, Beth Broderick and more.
“It’s been brought to my attention that 25 years ago today Sept 27, 1996 our show first aired on ABC for 7 seasons,” she captioned the series of pictures. “The little engine that could we called it since it was in the shadows of the largely anticipated show #Clueless but it persevered and we got to steal @reddonovan to come over to our fun cast.”
“Tons of talented guest stars, musical acts and magic tv tricks over the years. Full of friendships and crazy memories, it was an incredible ride to be sure!” she continued. “Thanks for the love and support to help us do what we love to do, make people smile!! Happy #SabrinatheTeenageWitch Day!”
Ahead of the milestone anniversary, Hart chatted with ABC Audio about why she thinks the show was such a success.
“It brings you to this escapism that the world is always looking for… And you’re looking for a happy ending,” the actress said. “Are you looking for this escapism of this girl who can do anything at the point of a finger? We all want that. We all dream of that.”
Something else fans dream about is a reboot of the popular sitcom. Not Hart, though.
“I would never want to reboot it because it just ended so perfectly,” she candidly revealed. “How are you going to improve on that?”
There actually has been a reboot, of sorts. Netflix aired Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a much darker comedic take on the character, for two seasons, ending in July of last year.
New music is coming from Blake Shelton! The singer just announced a new single, “Come Back As a Country Boy,” out on Friday, October 1. The song will be part of Blake’s new Body Language Deluxe album, which will be released on December 3.
“I think this song is an anthem for everyday hardworking country people out there,” Blake says of the song. written by Michael Hardy, Josh Thompson and Jordan Schmidt. “We have so much pride in who we are and what we do that, if we ever died and got the chance to live life over again, we probably wouldn’t do it if we couldn’t be country.”
Body Language includes Blake’s recent #1 hit, “Happy Anywhere,” with his wife, Gwen Stefani. A track list for the new album has not yet been released.
Elton John‘s definitely having a moment: First, his Dua Lipa duet “Cold Heart” has become his biggest hit in years, both in the U.S. and in his native U.K. Now, he’s scored a chart feat he hasn’t pulled off for 23 years.
Billboardnotes that “One of Me,” Elton’s collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X, has debuted at number 88 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. It’s Elton’s 69th Hot 100 entry and his second one this year, after “Cold Heart,” which is currently at #74. The last time Elton had two songs charting simultaneously was in 1998.
Posting a collage of his chart achievements, Elton wrote, “What!? Two tracks in the Billboard 100, #2 in the UK Charts, UK’s most downloaded single for three weeks now and 40 million monthly listeners on @spotify.”
“Thank you everyone!!” he added. “After all, you certainly know how to warm up my ‘Cold Heart.'”
That last sentence was also a reference to Elton’s latest release, “After All,” a duet with Charlie Puth. Elton and Charlie performed the song together in Paris this past weekend as part of the Global Citizen Live event. It was Elton’s final performance before he heads in for surgery to repair his hip — an injury that forced him to postpone his concerts this fall.
(NORTH PORT, Fla.) — A massive search is continuing in Florida for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old woman who went missing on a cross-country trip and who authorities confirmed as the body discovered in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
The search for the 23-year-old Laundrie is centered around North Port, Florida, where investigators said Laundrie returned to his home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her 2012 Ford Transit.
Laundrie has been named by police as a “person of interest” in Petito’s disappearance. Laundrie has refused to speak to the police and has not been seen since Tuesday, Sept. 14, according to law enforcement officials.
The search for Laundrie is the latest twist in the case that has grabbed national attention as he and Petito had been traveling across the country since June, documenting the trip on social media.
Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing on Sept. 11 after not hearing from her for two weeks.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Sep 29, 11:00 am
Brian Laundrie and parents went camping after he returned home without Gabby Petito
The nationwide search for Brian Laundrie has turned to a Florida campground, where the wanted fugitive’s family attorney confirmed to ABC News he went camping with his parents about a week after returning home from a cross-country trip without his girlfriend, Gabby Petito.
Steven Bertolino, the attorney for the Laundrie family, said Brian Laundrie, his father, Christopher, and mother, Roberta, all went camping in early September at the Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County.
Bertolino confirmed the family went on the camping trip after ABC affiliate station WFTS in Tampa obtained the Fort De Soto Park reservation log under the Freedom of Information Act, which showed Roberta Laundrie checked in on Sept. 6 and checked out on Sept. 8.
A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was spotted circling Fort De Soto Park Monday night between 11:40 p.m. until 12:40 a.m., WFTS reported. The sheriff’s office only said the helicopter search of the park was part of an active investigation.
Bertolino said Laundrie returned to his family’s home in North Port, Florida, following the camping excursion. The parents, through their attorney, denied doing anything to help their son elude the FBI.
Tyra Banks has gone viral, thanks to the outfit she changed into halfway through Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars. The supermodel changed into a larger-than-life crimson gown that was accentuated by oversized fan-shaped sleeves.
While the internet was intrigued by the look, some compared the dress to the frilled dilophosaurus dinosaur that killed Wayne Knight‘s character, Dennis Nedry, in Jurassic Park.
Banks shook off the comparisons on Tuesday when speaking with E!’s Daily Pop and revealed that the dress is actually an homage to her past life as a Victoria’s Secret Angel.
“There’s a base of that dress. It looks like a normal, beautiful dress from the ’90s,” she described. “Then I go on the stage in front of the audience and everybody, and I put on the wing thing. And everybody was like, ‘Oh!’ because they thought the first thing was the normal dress.”
“I call it Victoria’s Secret wangs. It’s not wings. It’s got an ‘A,'” the supermodel said of her outfit. “That’s how we did it.”
Dancing with the Stars will celebrate all things Britney Spears when it returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
