Month: July 2024

Categories
Country Daypop

Luke Bryan reveals 2025 ‘Crash My Playa’ lineup

Luke Bryan performs during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve at Times Square on December 31^ 2015 in New York City.

Luke Bryan revealed the lineup for his 10th annual Crash My Playa event, taking place January 15-18, 2025 at the luxurious Moon Palace Cancún. A post on social media read: “10 Years of Crash My Playa. Insane. Get ready for the party of the decade January 15-18, 2025 in Riviera Cancún, Mexico. All-inclusive packages on sale at crashmyplaya.com”

Bryan will headline the event for two nights, while Jason Aldean will return for a third time, and Kane Brown will be making his Crash My Playa debut in 2025. Additional artists include Bailey Zimmerman, Dustin Lynch, Dylan Scott, Elle King, Jackson Dean, Nate Smith, Dasha, Ella Langley, Tucker Wetmore, and DJ Rock.

Bryan shares: “This is one of those pinch-me moments. The ten-year anniversary of a festival that I got to create along with the Playa Luna team. It is hands down one of my favorite times on stage – period. To get to celebrate in the most beautiful setting with the most incredible Playa crashers, along with the most incredible artists – it doesn’t get much better. My artist friends always leave here wanting to come back. Gonna be the best Playa party yet.”

For details, head to: crashmyplaya.com. 

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Miranda Lambert shares the track, ‘Dammit Randy’

Miranda Lambert performs at Nissan Stadium during the 2017 CMA Festival on June 8^ 2017 in Nashville^ Tennessee.

Miranda Lambert released her latest track, “Dammit Randy,” c0-written by Miranda alongside her producer Jon Randall and husband, Brendan McLoughlin.

Miranda says the idea for “Dammit Randy” came from a conversation she had with Randall when she first embarked on the journey with her new label(s) Republic Records, as well as Nashville’s Big Loud, and how she felt so supported by her new team. Lambert shared the story behind it: “This song came out of a conversation the night before Jon Randall and I went into the studio to make this album. We were talking about how excited we were to be starting this journey with a new label family (Republic and Big Loud) and how supported we felt by them, which turned into chatting about situations where you might not feel so supported by someone – in this song’s case, an unappreciative Randy,” Lambert explained. “So, this one’s for anyone with a Randy they need to move on from.”

Take a listen to ‘Dammit Randy’ – here.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Legendary comedian and actor Bob Newhart dies at age 94

Bob Newhart at the 2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards - Day 1 - Arrivals at the Microsoft Theater on September 10^ 2016 in Los Angeles^ CA

Legendary comedian and actor Bob Newhart has died at the age of 94. Newhart’s publicist Jerry Digney shared in a statement that the actor and comedian died at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, July 18, following a series of short illnesses (per The Hollywood Reporter.)

The iconic entertainer will be most remembered for his roles in the CBS series The Bob Newhart Show, which ran from 1972 to 1978, and Newhart, which ran from 1982 to 1990.

Born George Robert Newhart on Sept. 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois, Newhard went on to attend Loyola University and later served in the Army (before being discharged in 1954), before initially working as an accountant. After deciding to take a shot at comedy in Chicago during the late ’50s, Newhart quickly skyrocketed to fame with the release of his 1960 album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, which became the first comedy record to hit no. 1 on the Billboard album chart and won the 1961 Grammy Award for Album of the Year – with Newhart himself winning the Grammy for Best New Artist (per Variety.)

Newhart transitioned into television with his 70’s hit series The Bob Newhart Show, co-starring Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Bonerz, Bill Daly and Marcia Wallace, which received two Emmy nominations. He went on to star in the show Newhart alongside an ensemble cast including Mary Frann, Peter Scolari, Julia Duffy and Jennifer Holmes, and later starred in 1992’s Bob (with Lisa Kudrow), and George and Leo (1997-1998). He also appeared in the films Legally Blonde 2 and Elf.

Newhart won his first Emmy in 2013 for his recurring guest role on The Big Bang Theory, netting two more nods in 2014 and 2016.   Newhart also received numerous accolades including receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and winning the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.

Newhart married Virginia Quinn in January 1963 and welcomed sons Robert and Timothy and daughters Jennifer and Courtney. Virginia died in April 2023 at the age of 82. He is survived by their four children, as well as 10 grandchildren.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Donald Glover shares film trailer, drops soundtrack to ‘Bando Stone & The New World’

Donald Glover at the 30th Vanity Fair Oscar Party. LOS ANGELES^ USA. March 10^ 2024

Donald Glover shared the trailer for his new movie Bando Stone & the New World, which he directed, starred in, and scored under his pseudonym, Childish Gambino. Bando Stone & the New World was written by Evi Wilder, produced by Glover’s creative studio, Gilga (in association with RCA Records), and executive produced by longtime creative partner Hiro Murai, as well as Fam Udeorji, Chad Taylor, Ibra Ake, and Javier Alejandro.

Glover revealed plans in April to release two more albums under his Childish Gambino alias. The first was Atavista, the self-described “finished version” of his 3.15.20 album Glover released four years ago. The second album is Bando Stone & the New World, which doubles as the soundtrack to this new movie. Glover recently dropped the song “Lithonia” off the album, which you can listen to – here.

In the trailer for the film, Gambino plays Bando Stone, a famous musician who wanders through a world devoid of people before he happens upon a woman (played by Jessica Allain) and her child. Together, they make their way through a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world filled with giant squids, emu-like birds, monsters, dinosaurs, sci-fi lasers, and more.

Glover – as Childish Gambino – will launch his New World Tour in Oklahoma City on Aug. 11, with support on select dates from Amaarae and Willow. The 33-stop North American leg wraps up in Chicago on Oct. 3, with the New World Tour marking Gambino’s first tour since 2019.

The soundtrack to Bando Stone & the New World drops July 19; to stream, head: here.
Check out the trailer for Bando Stone & The New World – here.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Rep. Adam Schiff is latest Democrat to call for President Biden to withdraw from 2024 race

Senator Adam Schiff speaking at the Democratic Party Endorsing Convention in Long Beach^ CA. Long Beach^ CA - Nov 16^ 2019

On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. became the latest Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to end his candidacy and exit the presidential race. Schiff is running for former Sen. Diane Feinstein’s seat (Feinstein died on Sept. 29 at age 90, after suffering a stroke).

In a prepared statement, Schiff said it’s time for Biden, 81, to “pass the torch” to a younger candidate to run against Trump, 78: “Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better. But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

Schiff says the Democratic Party might lose more than the race for the presidency if Biden is the candidate at the top of the ticket, adding that Biden’s candidacy might cause the Democrats to lose the Senate as well as the presidency and stop the party from regaining the House of Representatives. Said Schiff: “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”

Schiff is running against former L.A. Dodgers star Steve Garvey, who is the Republican candidate for the Senate seat. While Schiff is a strong favorite to win the Senate race, he said Democrats will “very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House” if Biden is the party’s presidential candidate: “The choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone,” but added that even if it is Biden, he will support the Democratic Party’s nominee for the presidency.

Biden has secured 3,896 delegates during the prior state primaries and caucus votes and only needs 1,976 to win the Democratic Party nomination. If Biden doesn’t withdraw his candidacy, he has a virtual lock on securing the nomination for a second term in office. In an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, Biden defiantly said ‘he wasn’t going anywhere’ and that he had earned the Democratic nomination, with backing from 14 million primary voters. Asked about his apparent confusion at the June debate with Trump, Biden said his “mental acuity has been pretty damn good.”

The Republican National Convention is currently underway through Thursday in Milwaukee; the Democratic Party is scheduled to start its national convention on Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Editorial credit: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Speaker Mike Johnson calls for resignation of Secret Service director after Trump assassination attempt

Congressman Mike Johnson (R) speaks during House Judiciary Committee field hearing on New York City violent crimes at Javits Federal Building in New York City on April 17^ 2023

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.  Multiple lawmakers have questioned why the roof of a building within 150 yards of Trump wasn’t secured by the Secret Service or local law enforcement. and also have asked why Secret Service snipers on another roof in the area didn’t engage the shooter until after Crooks had fired multiple times.

During an appearance on Fox News at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Johnson said: “I’m going to call for resignation. Look, I think it’s inexcusable. … Her explanation to the media that there was a slant on the roof, so there was safety concern — it doesn’t wash. And I think she’s shown what her priorities are.”  On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Johnson’s top lieutenant, had also called for Cheatle to resign. 

In the Fox News interview, Johnson also said he will create a congressional task force to consolidate investigations into the security failures around Trump’s Saturday rally that resulted in 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shooting and injuring the president, killing one attendee, and leaving two others in critical condition.  Said Johnson: “The reason we’re going to do it that way is because that is a more precision strike. It goes quicker, there’s not a lot of the procedural hurdles, and it will have subpoena authority for that task force as well. It will be compiled of Republicans and Democrats to get down the bottom of this quickly so the American people can get the answers that they deserve.”

Johnson added that “within hours” of Saturday’s shooting, he was on the phone with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who “did not have satisfactory answers at that time,” adding that he’s also spoken with FBI Director Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines:  “The answers have not been forthcoming. I think they’re gathering data. We’re going to do it as well. We have to have accountability for this. It was inexcusable. Obviously, there were security lapses. You don’t have to be a special ops expert to understand that, and we’re gonna get down to the bottom of it quickly.”

Johnson also referenced Cheatle in an ABC News interview when saying there were no law enforcement officers stationed on the roof from which the shooter fired because the “sloped roof” created safety concerns, despite other Secret Service snipers being positioned on a roof that was also sloped.  Said Johnson: “It doesn’t wash, and I think she’s shown what her priorities are. I don’t know her personally, but we’ll be asking lots of questions.”

Speaking to ABC News earlier this week, Cheatle said she would not resign, but stated: “The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service.” Cheatle said that the Secret Service was responsible for securing the inner perimeter of the rally, while local law enforcement was responsible for securing the area outside the rally, which included the building accessed by Crooks.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Morgan Wallen announces second hometown stadium show in Knoxville, TN

Morgan Wallen performs at CMT's RAMJAM on June 3^ 2019 at TopGolf in Nashville^ Tennessee.

Morgan Wallen announced his homecoming with his return to University of Tennessee (UT)’s Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. later this year as part of his One Night at a Time Tour. Wallen grew up in Sneedville, Tennessee and then moved to Knoxville as a teen. In 2011, he graduated from Gibbs High School, located just outside of Knoxville.

Wallen shared he is bringing the tour to his hometown for what he calls a “homecoming concert” in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sept. 22, where he grew up, featuring Hardy and Ernest as opening acts. Wallen shared on Instagram: ““I’m coming home .. I’ve had the honor of playing in a lot of college, MLB and NFL stadiums the past two years, but getting to play to my hometown at Neyland Stadium, nothing tops this for a boy from East Tennessee.”  Wallen’s social media was accompanied by a video that featured the song “Rocky Top” (one of Tennessee’s state songs) as well as footage of Neyland Stadium, performance shots of Wallen, and images of Wallen wearing an orange Tennessee Vols jersey.

Shortly after the fist announcement, Wallen added a second (and final) hometown show for Friday, September 20th, making him the first artist in the venue’s nearly-100-year history to ever play two nights as the venue.  Morgan’s hometown shows also mark the first time the country singer has returned to Knoxville on tour since headlining the Tennessee Valley Fair in 2019.

With a portion of every ticket purchased to his live shows benefiting The Morgan Wallen Foundation (MWF), the nonprofit recently donated $100,000 to the community of Jefferson City to improve and renovate two local baseball fields. With $80,000 going toward Roy Harmon Field via the City Parks Department and $20,000 toward New Market Field via Jefferson City Little League, the renovations include new infields, bases, dug outs, press boxes, backstop padding, fencing and more.

Tickets for Wallen’s Neyland Stadium shows are on sale via the singer’s website.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

2024 Emmy Nominations: The Bear and Shōgun lead the list of nominees

Emmy statues at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Microsoft Theater^ L.A. Live on September 17^ 2018 in Los Angeles^ California

Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary) revealed the nominations for the 76th Annual Emmy Award, making the announcement from El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 17th.

The Bear and Shōgun dominates the list of this year’s nominees, with The Bear setting a new record for nominations in a single year in the comedy category with a whopping 23 nods (the record was previously held by 30 Rock with 22 nominations in 2009).  Shōgun led this year’s drama category with 25 nominations.

Due to the Hollywood strikes, the 2023 Emmy Awards were presented in January 2024 — with shows such as Succession winning the Emmy for best drama series, and The Bear winning six Emmy Awards in the comedy categories.

To be considered eligible to the 2024 Emmys, all television shows, limited series, or made-for-TV film entries must have been released between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024. The Emmys are voted upon each year by the members of the Television Academy. The final round of voting will come to a close on Aug. 26

The 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony will be held on September 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.  For the fullest of nominations, head HERE.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Glenn Close joins Kim Kardashian in Ryan Murphy’s Hulu legal drama

Glenn Close at the 14th Governors Awards at the Dolby Ballroom on January 9^ 2024 in Los Angeles^ CA

Glenn Close has joined the cast of Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair, a legal drama starring Kim Kardashian for Hulu.  Close will also serve as an executive producer alongside Murphy and Kardashian.

All’s Fair, which was first announced in December 2023, is described as a “glossy and sexy procedural in which Kardashian (who worked with Murphy on the most recent season of American Horror Story) plays a top divorce attorney and the owner of an all-woman L.A. law firm. Details about Close’s role on the show is currently being kept under wraps

Close won back-to-back Emmys in 2008 and 2009 for another legal drama, FX’s Damages,  as notorious lawyer Patty Hewes, which also earned her a Golden Globe for her work on the show. Close is a 14-time Emmy nominee and won her other statuette for the TV movie “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.” The actor also earned Golden Globes for starring in the films “The Lion in Winter” and “The Wife,” and is an eight-time Oscar nominee, including nods for her film debut “The World According to Garp”, “The Big Chill,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” and “Fatal Attraction.”  She most recently starred in Hillbilly Elegy in 2021, and has recently had recurring parts on Apple TV+’s The New Look and Tehran.

Murphy serves as writer, director, and executive producer on “All’s Fair,” the first series to be announced under his new overall deal with Disney following the end of his Netflix deal. As previously mentioned, Kardashian and Close will serve as executive producers along with Kris Jenner, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, and Holly Jeter. 20th Television will produce in association with Ryan Murphy Television.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan share ‘Cowboys Cry Too’

Kelsea Ballerini at the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards Arrivals at Allegient Stadium on March 7^ 2022 in Las Vegas^ NV

Kelsea Ballerini released her new single, “Cowboys Cry Too,” featuring Noah Kahan, just weeks after Ballerini announced her upcoming fifth studio album , the follow-up to her 2022 release, Subject to Change. The singer, 30, captioned a collection of photos and videos of her in the recording studio on Instagram: “Album: recorded mind: lost dibs: unimpressed.”

Cowboys Cry Too featuring Kahan, 27, comes almost two months after the duo joined forces on the stage of the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, merging their hits “Mountain With A View” and “Stick Season.” The track was co-produced by Ballerini and Vanderheym in Nashville, with Kahan’s vocal produced by Gabe Simon. The song also features lead electric guitar from John Osborne of Brothers Osborne.

Shared Ballerini: “In our world and culture and echo chamber of highlight reels and pretty things, sometimes real feelings start to feel like something you just set aside or push down to keep up. Especially the way so many men grow up, that kind of toxic masculinity mindset of ‘saddle up, brush it off.’ I wanted to write my perspective and essentially celebrate the vulnerable men in my life, and Noah adding his really unfiltered perspective into it just brought it to life in a more meaningful and beautiful way.”

Kahan adds, “It’s the writers who are willing to go to the awkward places that inspire me. Kelsea is one of those, and I knew if we could find something we both believed to sing, it would expand how we look at the way we live, what society decides and we should reject. ‘Cowboys Cry Too’ is everything I believed our collaboration could be.”

Listen to Cowboys Cry Too via YouTube – HERE.
To stream Cowboys Cry Too, head HERE.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com