Month: July 2023

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TIME Studios to produce Notorious B.I.G. documentary ‘Understanding Christopher Wallace’

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TIME Studios has announced the production of a new documentary based on The Notorious B.I.G., to be titled ‘Understanding Christopher Wallace.’  The studio describes the documentary as “an intimate look at the untold life story of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.,’ and explained that the doc will follow Biggie’s son Christopher “C.J.” Wallace, who was born five months before his father died in 1997.

C.J Wallace will seek to learn more about his father throughout the doc, and the documentary will share footage of Biggie’s time in the spotlight, and present-day footage of the younger Wallace.  TIME Studios’ head of documentary Loren Hammonds shared a statement: “The Notorious B.I.G. had such an immense impact on not only music but also on popular culture as a whole. But this film is about so much more than that. It’s about fatherhood, loss, and love. It’s incredibly special to be able to let audiences learn about the man behind the myth through C. J.’s eyes, and we’re very proud to play a part in carrying on Christopher Wallace’s inimitable legacy.”

C.J. Wallace shared: “Over the past few years, I realized my personal journey is connected to understanding who Christopher George Latore Wallace was outside of his big rap persona. I am on a journey to fully understand the world he lived in and the massive impact he had on American and Black history and by doing so, I can ensure that I honor his hopes and dreams while I build and create my own legacy for future generations of Wallaces.”

Understanding Christopher Wallace will be directed by Vikram Gandhi, who previously directed and produced the 2020 Hulu documentary about rapper 6ix9ine titled 69: The Sage of Danny Hernandez. Gandhi said: “It’s an honor to document C.J.’s personal odyssey to understand his father and to create a deeper and more definitive film about the man behind the persona Notorious BIG, Christopher Wallace.”

The documentary has yet to be given a release date.

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Suspect in 4 killings in Georgia is shot and killed after manhunt

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Law enforcement officers shot and killed a man wanted in the weekend killings of four people near Atlanta. Officials say that a sheriff’s deputy and a police officer were also injured as they attempted to take the suspect into custody. Police haven’t disclosed a motive.

Henry County Sheriff’s spokesperson Syntonnia Moore said suspect Andre Longmore, 40, was fatally shot during a widespread manhunt, which began shortly after the shootings. Georgia authorities had been on the hunt for Longmore, who was accused of gunning down three men and a woman in a subdivision on Saturday morning before fleeing the Dogwood Lakes subdivision in Hampton, about 40 miles south of Atlanta. Longmore was wanted on four counts of murder in the deaths.

Moore said law enforcement shot and killed Longmore on Sunday in a nearby area of Clayton County. Moore added that a Henry County sheriff’s deputy and a Clayton County police officer were injured during the attempt to arrest Longmore. Moore said she had no update on the condition of either officer.

The names of the victims killed have not been released, pending notification of their relatives. All of the victims were adults, authorities said.

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Missing Alabama woman who reported toddler walking on the highway is found safe

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Police confirm that a woman who went missing in Hoover, Alabama on Wednesday after reporting to police she saw a child walking on the highway returned home late Saturday and was transported to a hospital for evaluation.

The Hoover Police Department said on Friday that Carlethia “Carlee” Russell, 25, made a 911 call to report a toddler walking alongside of Interstate 459 at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Russell reportedly stopped her vehicle to help the toddler along and then called a family member. When police arrived, she was gone, but her car and belongings were left behind. Responding officers also were unable to find a child in the area and have not received any calls about someone missing a small child; meanwhile, Russell remained missing until Saturday.

Hoover Police Captain Keith Czeskleba said it received a phone call about Russell returning home at about 10:45 p.m. Police traveled to her location, and then paramedics, who transported her to a local hospital. Captain Czeskleba said that more information was not “available for release at this time,” and declined to go into details on who informed them about Russell’s return and why there was a need for an evaluation. He said that the investigation into the case is ongoing.

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Country Daypop

Garth Brooks to headline inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff in New Orleans

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Garth Brooks will be headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, to help celebrate the start of the 2023 college football season. The event, which is expected to be an annual Labor Day weekend celebration, will include performances from Louisiana’s own Lainey Wilson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Says Brooks: “Being asked to be part of the first ever Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff is an honor  The fun will be in getting to perform with Legends Nitty Gritty and future legend Miss Wilson in front of arguably the greatest country music fans on the planet. Any trip to Louisiana is a guaranteed good time so PLEASE count me in!! Wilson also took to Instagram to share the news, writing: “Well hot dang y’all…I’m joining the one and only @garthbrooks, in my home state of Louisiana. We’re coming home to Louisiana!”

Proceeds from the event will go toward assisting the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s numerous community programs, including the New Orleans Teacher Collective. Funds will also go toward the aid of existing scholarship programs and youth events the Bowl supports annually. Sugar Bowl President Richard Briede shared in a release: “The Sugar Bowl Committee is always looking at ways to bring first-rate entertainment that will drive tourism in Louisiana  While efforts have traditionally focused on sporting events, Russell Doussan and the Doussan Music Group have provided us the opportunity to add great music, another hallmark of the state, to the Sugar Bowl repertoire as we start a new football season. The Sugar Bowl is particularly pleased that proceeds from the event will help support the work our organization is doing in the community.”

Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser wrote: “We are excited to have not just Garth Brooks in the Superdome, but also our very own Louisiana Music Ambassador and Louisiana native Lainey Wilson. She rocked the world with us on our float in the Rose Parade and we know she will get the crowd rocking to welcome Garth to the stage in New Orleans. This lineup has all the makings of a great Louisiana Saturday night.”

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Country Daypop

Hailey Whitters to drop six-song EP ‘I’m In Love’

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Hailey Whitters has announced a new six-song EP titled “I’m In Love”, set to be released on July 28. To pre-save the EP “I’m In Love” – here.

Whitters shared in a press release: “My last two LPs were concept records – The Dream being about my Nashville experience, and Raised was a love letter to the heartland I’m from. Both of these records are foundational to who I am. Along the way I’ve lived a lot of life and learned a lot about myself, and I’m excited to get more personal and straight from the heart with this next chapter. If you’ve made it this far, you know where I’m coming from. Now I’m ready to share where I’ve been and who I am.”

Whitters has also shared the EP’s title track, and says of the song: “I knew the minute I heard this song I had to record it. I didn’t write it [Nicolle Galyon, Lee Miller, & Cameron Bedell did], but I wish I had. I love – pun intended – the quirky language and spirit. Every time I sing it I’m smiling like a big ol sap because it just makes me so happy and puts me in a good mood.”

Take a listen to “I’m In Love” via YouTube – here.
To stream the single “I’m In Love” head here.

Hailey Whitters Announces New EP ‘I’m In Love,’ Drops Title Track

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Entertainment Daypop

Take a first look at Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in the trailer for ‘Wonka’

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Warner Bros. revealed the official trailer for Wonka, the upcoming prequel film to Roald Dahl’s 1964 classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role and directed by Paul King.

According to the official synopsis, “This irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.”

The forthcoming film is billed to be “an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor,” and will show young Willy Wonka discovering the enchanting world of chocolate. Simon Farnaby and Paul King wrote the screenplay, based on a story by King and characters created by Dahl.  The film also stars Hugh Grant, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, and Matt Lucas.

Wonka is set to premiere on December 15; take a first look at Chalamet and Grant in the trailer – here.

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Entertainment Daypop

Jennifer Garner to reprise her role as Elektra in ‘Deadpool 3’

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Garner is set to reprise her role as the antiheroine Elektra in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds. Production is currently underway on the project, which is a sequel to 2016’s Deadpool and 2018’s Deadpool 2.

Garner portrayed Elektra in 2003’s Daredevil and 2005’s Elektra; THR reports that Garner will have a major role to play in the film, with Reynolds returning as the wise-cracking antihero Deadpool. In addition, Hugh Jackman is set to reprise his role as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 for the first time since 2017’s Logan. 

Deadpool 3 marks a reunion for Garner, Reynolds and director Shawn Levy, who all worked together on the 2022 Netflix movie, The Adam Project.  

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News Daypop

Fire kills nearly all animals at Florida wildlife center

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Officials said that an early-morning fire on Thursday killed nearly all the animals at a wildlife center in Madeira Beach, near St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies say the blaze was reported around 2 a.m. Thursday and impacted both the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery Center and Beach Bites & Burgers. Fire Chief Clint Belk of the Madeira Beach Fire Department said crews were forced to shift to a “defensive operation” due to deteriorating conditions, and the blaze was under control in about 45 minutes. Belk said: “We keep oxygen masks on the fire truck for dogs and cats, but this is just such a rare occasion. They’re all exotic animals.”  An investigation is underway to determine the cause.

A post on the wildlife center’s Facebook page said: “We suffered from a tragic fire last night. Nearly all of the animals are gone. We are devastated.” Sonny Flynn, who owns the center, told local Tampa Bay station WTSP that all of the mammals inside the building died and many of the reptiles were injured. Small mammals, lizards, amphibians, turtles and tortoises, fresh and saltwater marine life, and alligators were among the 250 animals at the center. Flynn said about 95% of the animals at the center were “pet surrenders because people didn’t know how to take care of them, or they weren’t able to take care of them,” adding, “they didn’t deserve this. This is my whole life They all have names, they all have personality, I come in every morning and talk to them like Dr. Dolittle.”

According to its website, the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery Center was founded in 2011, and has changed its focus to education and conservation: “Our immediate goal is the provision of humane, professional care for pet surrenders and orphaned native wildlife that cannot be safely returned to the wild.”

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Country Daypop

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews lead Farm Aid 2023

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The annual music and food festival Farm Aid announced it will return to Noblesville, Ind.’s Ruoff Music Center on Sept. 23. Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid 2023 will feature artists including Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), Margo Price, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident, and Particle Kid.

For more than 35 years, Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host the annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Farm Aid has raised more than $70 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson said in a statement: “Family farmers have the solutions to some of our toughest challenges. As we face a changing climate, farmers in Indiana, across the Midwest and all over the country are farming in ways that create more resilient farms to build healthy soils and protect our water.”

Adds Farm Aid co-founder John Mellencamp: “We are honored and excited to bring the Farm Aid experience back to Indiana. My home state holds deep meaning for me and for the generations of family farmers who have dedicated their lives to caring for the Earth and bringing us good food.”

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, July 15th at 10 am ET via Ticketmaster.

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Country Daypop

Morgan Wade shares the video for ’80’s Movie’

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Morgan Wade has released the video for her latest single, “80’s Movie,” one of the tracks off her eagerly-awaited sophomore album Psychopath, out 8/25 via Sony Music Nashville. The 13-track Psychopath LP includes contributions from A-list songwriters, studio musicians and Wade’s longtime producer, Sadler Vaden.

80’s Movie was written by Wade and frequent collaborator Vaden, and she spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the track: “If you want to feel instantly happy, you can watch a feel-good movie from the 80’s and it’ll cheer you right up. That nostalgic, joyful sentiment is what we were channeling when writing this song and I think we got there. ‘80’s movie’ is fun, melodic and light-hearted and I am so excited it’s finally here.”

Wade has been on the road in 2023 with her headlining No Signs of Slowing Down Tour, and made a notable appearance at Stagecoach Festival. She also appears on Diplo’s new album Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant, will join Turnpike Troubadours and Eric Church for select tour dates throughout summer and fall, and will be making appearances at Lollapalooza, Railbird, and Austin City Limits before heading back to Europe for a fall headline run.

Take a look at Morgan’s video for ’80’s Movie’ – here.

Morgan Wade – “80’s Movie”

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