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‘Backrooms’ crosses $100 million, becomes highest-grossing A24 film at domestic box office

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

‘Backrooms’ crosses 0 million, becomes highest-grossing A24 film at domestic box office

‘Backrooms’ crosses $100 million, becomes highest-grossing A24 film at domestic box office — Chiwetel Ejiofor in ‘Backrooms.’ (A24)

Backrooms is now the highest-grossing A24 film at the domestic box office.

The Kane Parsons-directed film crossed $100 million in the North American box office on Wednesday, A24 confirmed to ABC Audio.

This makes it the studio’s first film to reach such an achievement. It surpassed the Timothée Chalamet film Marty Supreme‘s domestic total of $96 million in only six days.

According to the studio, Backrooms’ global box office number stands at $144 million as of Wednesday. This means Backrooms is close to surpassing the best picture Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s worldwide total of $148 million to become A24’s second highest grossing movie. Marty Supreme is currently A24’s highest grossing movie worldwide with a total of $191.3 million.

Backrooms opened in theaters on May 29. It brought in more than $81 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, off a $10 million budget. This made it the biggest debut in history for an original horror film, as well as the biggest debut for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. At 20 years old, Parsons is the youngest director to have a #1 film at the box office.

The horror film is based on Parsons’ popular YouTube series. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve as two people who enter a secret doorway into a maze of seemingly endless rooms.

‘Carry On,’ as Kenny Chesney works to finish his upcoming 21st album

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

After only three weeks, Kenny Chesney’s “Carry On” is already a top-25 hit.

There’s more new music on the way, as the Country Music Hall of Famer works to finish his follow-up to 2024’s Born.

“I feel like there is some real hunger for this music,” he says. “The world is in such a divided place, I think music that brings people together, that reminds them of their actual feelings is what they’re looking for – and that’s always been what holds my music together.”

If you’re hoping to escape the heaviness of everyday life, Kenny believes his new music will help.

“For anyone who’s looking to fill their days with light and joy, without pretending tough stuff doesn’t exist, this record’s gonna be for you!” he promises. “We’ve got all songs – I think – picked, and now it’s just a matter of making them sound as good as we can. It’s a lot of great guitars, different rhythms and pretty amazing songs from some of my friends, some emerging writers and a few of Nashville’s most iconic writers ever.”

Though there’s no release date so far, Kenny’s currently working on the final mixes for his 21st studio album.

Weezer going gold with new self-titled album

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Weezer is back with a new album. The “Buddy Holly” rockers are set to release a new self-titled record on Aug. 21.

This of course, isn’t the first time they’ve released a self-titled record. In fact, Weezer has released six others, which have gone on to be referred to by the color of their album covers, including blue, green, red, white, teal, and black. The new album cover is gold.

According to the press release, the album, produced by Klas Åhlund and Kenneth Blume, saw the band returning to the way they started making albums, “in a rehearsal space, playing together, writing together, figuring out what they wanted to do next, and what the shape of that next project looked like.”

The album is described as “a tightly-wound, ready-to-spring record,” with Blume noting he wanted to make “the most violent Weezer album ever.”

Weezer is previewing the album with the release of the track “We Might as Well Be Strangers,” featuring Wednesday. It is available now via digital outlets.

Weezer is available for preorder now. Here is the track list:

“Say Yes”
“Shine Again”
“Don’t Make It Weird”
“We Might as Well Be Strangers” ft. Wednesday
“C.E.O.”
“Hoops”
“Nowhere”
“The Show Must Go On”
“Up in the Clouds”
“The LA Sound”

Production begins for Cypress Hill cofounder’s documentary featuring Chuck D, DMC, will.i.am and more

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Production has begun on a documentary of Cypress Hill cofounder Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes.

Mi Familia: Sen Dog and the American Dream chronicles his journey from his humble beginnings as a Cuban immigrant in LA to fame, while also exploring how Cypress Hill came together, according to Variety. The documentary will feature interviews with B-Real, Slash, Chuck D, DMC, George Clinton, will.i.am, Emilio Estefan, Pitbull and DJ Matt Pinfield.

“’Mi Familia’ is a truly unique experience that reconnects me with my Cuban roots and our family’s musical legacy, which stretches back many generations,” Reyes said in a statement to Variety. “It also brings me closer to so many musical icons who have played a part in breaking barriers and blending genres and cultures, and I feel deeply honored to have them featured throughout my journey in this film.”

Reyes cofounded Cypress Hill in 1991 with fellow members Louis “B-Real” Freese and producer Lawrence “Muggs” Muggerud. Eric “Bobo” Correa joined the group in 1994. Reyes also founded the metal bands SX-10 and Powerflo.

Reyes also serves as a cowriter and producer on the documentary.

Taylor Swift praises Paul McCartney’s ‘inspiring’ new album

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Swift has met Paul McCartney several times, and she attended his concert in LA in March. Now, she’s promoting his new album on her Instagram Story.

Sharing one of Paul’s posts about his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Taylor wrote, “Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist.”

During an interview last month with BBC Radio 2, McCartney was asked how he perceives Taylor’s global fame and if he’d give her any advice on dealing with it.

“You do see the parallel, y’know, like the fame and the amount of fame and the worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that [The Beatles] had,” he replied. “But I don’t think she needs any advice, [to] tell you the truth!”

But in a way, Paul may have inspired Taylor’s Eras Tour. When the two sat down for Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians series in 2020, she told him that she’d gone to see him around 2010 or 2011.

“The thing I took away from the show most was that it was the most selfless set list I had ever seen. It was completely geared toward what it would thrill us to hear,” she told him. “It had new stuff, but it had every hit we wanted to hear … [a]nd I just remembered thinking, ‘I’ve got to remember that,’ that you do that set list for your fans.”

She continued, “I think that learning that lesson from you taught me at a really important stage in my career that if people want to hear ‘Love Story’ and ‘Shake It Off,’ and I’ve played them 300 million times, play them the 300-millionth-and-first time.”

Volunteer firefighter arrested for allegedly setting fires, responding to them with his department

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(SOUDERTON, Pa.) — A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly setting fires and then responding to them with his fire department, according to officials in eastern Pennsylvania.

Justin Sholly, a 29-year-old member of the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company in Souderton, was arrested on Sunday on charges including arson, according to court documents.

The first fire was Friday morning, when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company and other agencies responded to a fire at a detached garage/barn, according to the criminal complaint. The blaze was about 50 feet behind a home that had 10 people inside, the complaint said.

Hours later, the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company responded to a trash fire, the complaint said.

Then early Saturday morning, crews responded to a property where there were multiple fires coming from a barn, a shed, an outhouse, three cars and a gazebo, according to the complaint. The fires were near a home with eight people inside, the document said.

Investigators used license plate reader databases to zero in on Sholly as a suspect, according to the criminal complaint.

Sholly admitted to setting all three fires, according to the court documents. After two of the blazes, Sholly went to his fire department and then responded back to the fire scenes with the other firefighters, documents said.

Sholly said one of the fires was near property he believed belonged to an employer who fired him in 2015, the complaint said.

The Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company said Sholly has been suspended from the department “with intent to remove upon future outcomes.”

“The actions described in the criminal charges stand in complete opposition to the core values, mission, and dedication of our company,” the fire department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sholly has not entered a plea.

Riley Green, Luke Bryan & Jason Aldean help open JSU’s Randy Owen Center

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts is now open on the campus of Alabama’s Jacksonville State University after a night that included some of the biggest artists in country music.

Named in honor of the JSU graduate who became a Country Music Hall of Famer as the lead singer of Alabama, the event featured a top-secret superstar lineup for the facility’s official opening May 27.

Former JSU quarterback Riley Green performed, as well as Jamey Johnson, who attended JSU in the ’90s.

“My wishes, and my hopes, and my dreams are that someday some kid will come through here, like me, and when they leave here, they have a dream,” Randy reflected. “Because if I can make it, anybody can. I’ve been so blessed to be here, and this is one day that I’ll never forget.”

Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Teddy Gentry, Pam Tillis, Mark Wills, The Oak Ridge Boys, Drake White and more also took the stage.

ICYMI: Megan Thee Stallion, Big Freedia and more

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Megan Thee Stallion is about through with playing the role of wifey in a relationships. In a teaser of her new song, she raps, “All that wifey s*** is dead/ Put that s*** to bed/ l’ma make him beg.” This song follows her breakup with NBA baller Klay Thompson.

Big Freedia is premiering another single and video as part the joint album with SOPHIE. “It’s about to GO DOWN my next single with SOPHIE drops THIS FRIDAY! Pre-save now, link in bio. sound on for first listen,” Freedia wrote on Instagram.

Some consider themselves the greatest of all time, but Rick Ross has another way to describe himself. “I’m the BOAT,” he said Tuesday on his Instagram Story. “Biggest of all time, baby. The BOAT.”

‘Good Grief’! Sara Bareilles announces new album and tour

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Sara Bareilles: Good Grief, a documentary about Sara’s first album in nearly seven years, has its premiere at New York’s Tribeca Festival on Thursday night, and now she’s announced details about the album that’s the focus of the doc.

Also called Good Grief, the album arrives Aug. 28 and is available for preorder and presave now. Sara will donate 100% of the proceeds of the album sales from her website to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The album is Sara’s first since 2019’s Amidst the Chaos, and she says of the project, “This whole collection of songs felt like transmissions rather than a deliberate attempt to make sense of the world. My deepest hope is that Good Grief provides some kind of comfort or catharsis.”

The first single, “Home,” was inspired by a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on Cooper’s podcast. Sara writes on Instagram, “Hearing their stories of loss, I started feeling more courageous to tell mine.”

“For me, this encapsulates the message of this record – sharing the thing that’s the most true, and through that building threads of connection between you and the people around you. It’s why we’re all here.”

Sara’s Good Grief tour will star Sept. 9 in Boston and is scheduled to run through Oct. 19 in Seattle. Presales start June 8: You can sign up for the artist presale at 12 p.m. local time; various other presales start at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 10 at 10 a.m. local time.

One dollar of every ticket purchased will go to the The Jed Foundation, which works to prevent suicide among teens and young adults.

Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt perform ‘I Played the Fool’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and producer Andrew Watt were the musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday night, where they performed “I Played the Fool,” the theme song to Steve Carell’s HBO series The Rooster.

The pair was joined by some A-list friends for the performance, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith behind the drum kit, and former Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer on piano. Klinghoffer appeared on the original recording of the song, while blink-182’s Travis Barker played drums on it.

Stipe and Watt released “I Played the Fool” in March to coincide with The Rooster premiere.

Stipe revealed during an April appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that his long-in-the-works debut solo album is expected out later this year. There’s no word on whether “I Played the Fool” will be on it.

In other R.E.M. news, Peter Buck’s band Drink the Sea, which also features Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, has announced a new set of U.S. dates that begin Aug. 30 in Vashon Island, Washington, and wrap Sept. 24 in Kirkland, Washington. The tour will be in support of their new album, which is due out Oct. 2.

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