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Aretha Franklin’s handprints find new, permanent home at Detroit Historical Museum

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Just prior to her death, Aretha Franklin cast her handprints in concrete in 2017. Three years later, they’ve finally found a permanent home.

The Detroit native’s hand prints were unveiled Sunday, according to the Detroit Free Press, to celebrate a new exhibit from the Detroit Historical Museum honoring the late legend. Originally, the castings were meant to be installed in the city’s then-newly announced Aretha Franklin Way. Plans for the installation were changed when Franklin passed away in 2018.

The temporary exhibit, titled “Respect,” showcases several artifacts belonging to the Queen of Soul, as well as props and costumes from her new biopic of the same name that opens in theaters later this month. The display will be available for viewing until the end of August at the museum’s Motor City Music Exhibition space.

In addition to the new exhibit, a private screening of Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, was also held Sunday for the singer’s inner circle.

Hudson, who was Aretha’s hand-picked selection to play her in the film, was also in the city for the festivities. She was joined by the movie’s director, Liesl Tommy, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for a Q&A session regarding the biopic. The event was invitation only.

Respect, which follows Aretha’s life story from being a singer in her father’s choir in church to becoming a worldwide music legend, debuts in theaters August 13.

Aretha died August 16, 2018 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

“Famous Friends”: Chris Young sets 2021 tour dates

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Chris Young is bringing his “Famous Friends” on tour.

This fall, the chart-topping singer will set out on the Famous Friends Tour that covers 13 cities from October through December. The trek kicks off October 21 in Little Rock, Arkansas and runs through December 5 where it wraps at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Along the way, Chris and friends will make multiple stops in Texas and perform another arena show in Iowa at Xtream Arena. Mitchell Tenpenny and newcomer Callista Clark join as opening acts.

“Everybody’s been asking me when’s the tour announce — well now you have your answer and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’m pumped to be able to share some of this new music on tour!” Chris shares in a statement.

The Famous Friends tour is named after Chris’ current #1 single, featuring Kane Brown.

News of the tour comes just days before the Tennessee native drops his long-awaited album, Famous Friends, on Friday. The 14-track album also features collaborations with Mitchell and Lauren Alaina. It’s his first studio album since Losing Sleep was released in 2017.

Kathy Griffin announces she has lung cancer

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kathy Griffin revealed Monday that she has stage 1 lung cancer.

The 60-year-old comedian and actress shared a tweet announcing her diagnosis and said she will undergo surgery. She did not reveal when she received her diagnosis.

“I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer,” Griffin wrote. “I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed.”

Griffin continued: “Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!”

She said her doctors are “very optimistic” because she said her cancer is “stage one and contained to my left lung.”

“Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing,” she wrote. “I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less.”

“It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine,” she continued.

Griffin also told her followers she is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “The consequences for being unvaccinated would have been even more serious,” she said. “Please stay up to date on your medical check ups. It’ll save your life.”

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that “about 10% to 20% of lung cancers, or 20,000 to 40,000 lung cancers each year, happen in people who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.”

Griffin sat down with ABC News’ Juju Chang to discuss her reaction to her diagnosis, admitting she was “in shock.”

“Once a day, I’ll just turn to nobody next to me and go, ‘Can you believe this s***? Is this a b**** or what?” she said.

pic.twitter.com/XoqoudcIK1

— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) August 2, 2021

Fetty Wap’s 4-year-old daughter, Lauren, has died

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Fetty Wap‘s 4-year-old daughter, Lauren Maxwell, has died.

The 30-year-old “Trap Queen” rapper shared Lauren with artist Turquoise Miami, who confirmed the heart-wrenching news on Saturday.

Sharing a short clip to Instagram of their daughter in a pool smiling and bouncing around, she wrote, “This is my amazing, beautiful, funny, vibrant, loving, talented, smart and hardheaded princess mermaid Aquarius.”

Miami then asked that those who see the post either comment or say to themselves “‘I love you Lauren’ because they say that souls can feel your love.” She closed the post with #rip and the broken heart emoji.

There was no mention of how Lauren died.

Fetty, born Willie Junior Maxwell, hasn’t directly commented on the devastating news. The U.S. Sun, however, reports that he seemingly acknowledged it after his Rolling Loud performance last weekend.

“LoLo daddy did that…for you last night baby girl,” he wrote in an Instagram Story, accompanied by a butterfly, dove and heart emoji on July 25.

Fetty followed up that post with a video of himself singing his record “Come My Way” with the phrase “Listen LoLo.”

“Welcome to the ‘Youngs'”: Brett Young announces arrival of second daughter

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Brett Young is a proud father, as he and wife Taylor announce the arrival of their second child.

Over the weekend, Brett took to Instagram to reveal that his second daughter, Rowan Marie Young, was born on July 21. She joins the couple’s one-year-old daughter, Presley.The “Mercy” singer shared the news alongside a photo of the sleeping newborn wrapped in a big pink bow.

“I thought my heart was maxed out. I usually don’t like to be wrong…… I was wrong. And I can’t wait to thank you properly for the opportunity to be your daddy. I already love you so much and I can’t wait to watch you and your sister become best friends,” Brett writes in the caption.

The singer also praises his wife and eldest daughter, encouraging the new baby to follow their example as she grows up.

“The women in your life are super heroes and you’re the luckiest lady alive. Presley has been begging for you. Be prepared for me to mess everything up and your mom and sister to always be there to fix it,” he continues. “I love you. Welcome to the ‘Youngs’ -Daddy.”

Brett and Taylor welcomed Presley in October 2019. His most recent #1 hit, “Lady,” is inspired by them. Brett’s set to release a children’s book, Love You, Little Lady on August 24.

New Led Zeppelin documentary, made with band’s participation, is ready to go

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

First announced in 2019, a new Led Zeppelin documentary — the first in 50 years to feature the band’s participation — has been completed, and now has a title: Becoming Led Zeppelin.

As Variety reports, the director, Bernard McMahon, had what’s described as “unprecedented” access to the band for the project. “Becoming Led Zeppelin is a film that no one thought could be made,” Variety quotes MacMahon as saying. “The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones all sat for new interviews for the doc, and archival interviews with late drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, are also included. Never-before-seen pictures and film, plus state-of-the-art audio transfers of Zeppelin’s music, round out the project.

McMahon also directed American Epic, a documentary series focusing on American roots music and its impact on the world. According to Variety, when Becoming Led Zeppelin was first announced, Page said that he knew McMahon would be “qualified’ to tell their story based on his “remarkable achievement” with American Epic.

So far, the documentary does not have a release date.

WATCH: Israel begins administering third COVID-19 boosters to vulnerable citizens

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Israel is now the first in the world to give a third booster COVID-19 vaccine shot to those over 60 and other vulnerable people as cases rise.

The U.K. expected to roll out boosters next month.

Watch the full report from ABC’s Good Morning America:

Lorde to perform on ‘Good Morning America’ in Central Park

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lorde will be performing live in New York City’s Central Park later this month for Good Morning America’s 2021 Summer Concert Series.

The New Zealand singer-songwriter will be hitting the stage on August 20 — the same day her new album, Solar Power, is released. She debuted the title track off the album back in June.

Tickets are required to attend the free concert and strict COVID-19 protocols will be enforced. GMA requires all attendees to be fully vaccinated on the day of attendance.

Can’t be in New York City? You can get a front row seat for the performance at home by watching GMA live on August 20 and tweeting @GMA on social with the hashtag #LordeonGMA.

COVID-19 live updates: TSA sees highest number of travelers since start of pandemic amid delta variant spread

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.1 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 58.1% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:

Aug 02, 9:44 am
Tokyo COVID-19 cases up 200% in 1 week

There are 2,195 new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, a 206.9% increase since last Monday, according to the Tokyo Media Center.

At the Olympics, there are 281 new COVID-19 cases, an increase of 17 cases in the last 24 hours, according to Tokyo 2020 organizers. None of these cases are athletes; they are all contractors, personnel or media.

Aug 02, 8:56 am
At least 1 patient checked in every hour at Louisiana hospital

At least one COVID-19 patient was checked in every hour Monday morning at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital officials told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ.

Our Lady of the Lake Hospital is among 45 hospitals in the state requesting extra staff, reported WBRZ.

Aug 02, 8:19 am
TSA screens highest number of people since start of pandemic

The Transportation Security Administration screened 2,238,462 people at U.S. airports on Sunday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, the agency said. The continued spread of the highly contagious delta variant has not stopped travelers this summer and the TSA put out a tweet reminding fliers to mask up and socially distance.

MTV unveils new Moon Person for 40th anniversary

August 2, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After 40 years, MTV’s Moon Person trophy is getting a makeover.

The reimagining of the familiar image coincides with the network’s 40th anniversary, which was on Sunday. While the original Moon Person features an astronaut on the moon to planting an MTV flag, the new version, designed by artist Kehinde Wiley, takes a botanical twist.

In a statement, MTV explained, “Kehinde Wiley’s Moon Person sculpture represents inclusivity and diversity marked by the historical, environmental and nature relevance of the botanicals. The design features botanical vines seamlessly flowing up and around the figure’s legs, body, and arms as a commentary on the ethnic histories that surround America. Each intertwined vine or leaf has a different historical relevance, such as the seeds from African slaves, that are woven into the American tapestry.”

“The sculpture complements Wiley’s forthcoming series of portraits, in which he plans to create paintings featuring his subjects lying on their sides as vines encircle their bodies,” MTV added.

MTV launched on August 1, 1981 with footage of NASA’s Apollo 11 expedition, the spaceflight that landed humans on the moon in 1969. To help commemorate the moment, a life-sized version of Wiley’s Moon Person is also available for public viewing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex.

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