Month: June 2024

Categories
Country Daypop

Tracy Lawrence shares video for new single ‘Pretty Dang Good’

Tracy Lawrence performs at the CountryFlo Music and Camping Festival on November 4^ 2016 in Lake Wales^ Florida.

Country music icon Tracy Lawrence has released his new single ‘Pretty Dang Good,’ the follow-up to his recent track “Gulf of Mexico.”  The song is the third track off Lawrence’s six-track forthcoming EP, Out Here In It, set to drop on June 7th.

‘Pretty Dang Good,’ written by Wyatt McCubbin, Bobby Pinson, and Carson Chamberlain, serves as the opening track on Out Here In It, which also features cuts from some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters including Rodney Clawson, Devin Dawson, Jacob Durrett, Wyatt McCubbin, Lee Thomas Miller, Ernest Keith Smith, and more.

Lawrence has also been out on the road with Riley Green on his Ain’t My Last Rodeo tour.   Check out the video for ‘Pretty Dang Good’ – here.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Randy Travis bringing ‘More Life Tour’ to Ryman Auditorium

Randy Travis at the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards Arrivals^ MGM Grand Garden Arena^ Las Vegas^ NV. 04-18-10

Randy Travis will appear in concert at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on June 5, 2024, unofficially kicking-off CMA Fest.

Travis is bringing his “More Life Tour” to the venue alongside his original touring band and special guest vocalist James Dupré.  Due to Travis’ 2013 stroke that left him with aphasia, he will not perform himself; however, similar to his AI-assisted performance on his new song “Where That Came From,” his friend and longtime touring partner Dupré will assume the microphone and perform alongside the original Randy Travis Band to play all 16 of Travis’ hit songs, including “On The Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “Three Wooden Crosses.”  Randy and his wife Mary will be present on stage throughout the entire show.

Travis’ new single, “Where That Came From,” was released on May 3rd in collaboration with longtime producer Kyle Lehning, marking his first song in over a decade.

Editorial credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Anthony Mackie, Laura Dern and Glen Powell to star in John Lee Hancock’s film ‘Monsanto’

Anthony Mackie at the premiere for "We Have A Ghost" at the Tedum Theatre^ Hollywood. LOS ANGELES^ CA. February 22^ 2023

Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern have signed on to star in “Monsanto,” the latest film from writer-director John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side,” “Saving Mr. Banks”).

Monsanto tells the true story of young, untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell) who in 2019 takes on a seemingly insurmountable case against the giant U.S. chemical company Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie) who used Monsanto’s best-known product Roundup, a wildly financially successful weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. Dern plays Dr. Melinda Rogers, the Monsanto Company’s chief toxicologist, who testifies with certainty that Roundup is safe during the landmark cancer trial.

Hancock said: “I was drawn to this contemporary David vs. Goliath true story because I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world. My ambitions are to deliver a smart, thoughtful and commercial legal drama that takes the audience on a human journey.”

Powell said of the project: “I’ve always been fascinated by true stories of ordinary people against extraordinary odds. This story encapsulates that spirit with a critical issue that affects us all. And it’s a privilege to bring it to audiences with an exceptional filmmaker and powerful cast.”

Dern added: “I’ve loved my collaborations with John Lee and look forward to working with him again. There couldn’t be a more vital story to be a part of.”

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

See Lily Gladstone in the trailer for the film ‘Fancy Dance’

Lily Gladstone at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards - Arrivals at the Barker Hanger on January 14^ 2024 in Santa Monica^ CA

Apple TV has released the latest trailer for the drama film, Fancy Dance, featuring the directorial debut of Erica Tremblay and starring Lily Gladstone and Isabel Deroy-Olson. Fancy Dance, from Apple Original Films, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023

Gladstone stars as Jax, a woman scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation on Oklahoma, who has cared for her niece Roki (Deroy-Olson) since her sister’s disappearance. At the risk of Jax losing custody to Roki’s grandfather, Frank (Shea Whigham), Jax and Roki hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for an upcoming powwow. The cast also includes Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, Audrey Wasilewski.

The film’s synopsis reads: “Following her sister’s disappearance, Jax and her niece Roki must stick together. Desperate to keep what’s left of their family intact, Jax and Roki defy the law and hit the road on a journey to the Grand Nation Powwow in Oklahoma City .. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system.”

Fancy Dance opens in select theaters June 21 and will start streaming June 28 on Apple TV+; you can watch the trailer – here.

Categories
News Daypop

2 dead, 7 injured after shooting at suburban Pittsburgh bar

Pittsburgh^ Pennsylvania^ police car.

Police said on Sunday that a shooting at a bar in suburban Pittsburg left two people dead and seven others injured. The Allegheny County Police Department said the early morning Sunday shooting occurred at the Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar in Penn Hills, with its homicide unit responding to a request for help by Penn Hills Police Department after the early morning shooting.

First responders discovered the bodies of an adult male and adult female inside the bar around 3 a.m. Sunday, with seven additional victims also found. Some of those victims were transported from the scene and others showing up at hospitals, police said in a statement posted on social media. The statement said that one of the victims is in critical condition, while the remaining victims all had injuries that were not life-threatening.

Preliminary information shows “an altercation took place inside the bar and multiple individuals opened fire;” and no arrests were immediately reported. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Editorial credit: ArCere/ Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Mass shooting in Akron, Ohio leaves 1 dead, 24 injured

Blue flasher /lights/siren on the police car at night.

Police report that one person was killed and 24 others were wounded in a mass shooting early Sunday morning in Akron, Ohio. According to a statement from the city’s mayor and police chief, police officers responded to 911 calls shortly after midnight, reporting shots fired and multiple victims struck in the area of Kelly Ave. and 8th Ave., about 40 miles south of Cleveland, just after midnight. It’s not clear what happened in the lead-up to the shooting.

The Akron Police Department said in a news release: “Officers were immediately dispatched and responded to the area. hortly after those calls came in, the call center received notifications from local hospitals that multiple persons were arriving in the emergency departments with gunshot wounds.”

At least 25 victims were shot, including the 27-year-old man who has since died. A weapon and “several dozen casings” were recovered from the scene. The investigation is ongoing, and no further suspect information is available, city officials said, calling on residents who may have information about the shooting to come forward.

A joint statement from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and Police Chief Brian Harding read: “We will bring those responsible to justice, and we need the help of our community to do that. For those who have information about this horrific shooting – we need you to speak up in order to prevent further violence and retaliation. This can be done anonymously.”

Malik and Harding added: “This morning, our city is reeling after the devastation of senseless violence. With more than two dozen victims, the pain and trauma reverberates across all of Akron today as we search for answers. As with all acts of violence in our city, our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones.”

Editorial credit: Jaromir Chalabala / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Latest round of performers added to CMA Fest 2024 lineup

Kelsea Ballerini performs at the 2018 CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium on June 9^ 2018 in Nashville^ Tennessee.

The Country Music Association shared a slew of performers and artists appearing at CMA Fest, taking place across multiple stages June 6-9 in downtown Nashville, adding to the hundreds of artists previously announced for the four-day festival lineup.

Kicking-off the run of nightly shows at Nissan Stadium will be Reyna Roberts, who has been tapped to perform the national anthem on Thursday, June 6, while Terri Clark, Craig Morgan, Josh Turner and Gretchen Wilson will open the shows throughout the weekend.

Old Dominion has also been added to the main stage lineup alongside previously announced acts including Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, The War and Treaty, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman.

The Tennessee State University marching band, The Aristocrat of Bands, returns for a second year on Thursday morning as they march across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. Reyna Roberts will kick off Thursday night at Nissan Stadium performing the national anthem. Additional acts taking the stages include Sophia Scott performing the national anthem at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, as well as sets by Julia Cole, Allie Colleen, Shelby Darrall, Exile, Chris Housman, Willie Jones, Tiera Kennedy, Love and Theft, Dylan Marlowe, Matt Schuster, Sister Hazel, The Chattahoochies and Louie TheSinger.

Head to CMAfest.com/tickets for available ticket information.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Take a listen to Thomas Rhett’s latest single ‘Beautiful as You’

Country music artist Thomas Rhett performs at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party with Thomas Rhett on September 28^ 2015 at the iHeartRadio Theater in New York City.

Thomas Rhett has dropped his latest single, “Beautiful As You”, the first music off his upcoming seventh studio album set for release on August 23rd.

Rhett, 34, and wife and Lauren, 34, are parents to daughters Willa Gray, 8½, Ada James, 6½, Lennon Love, 4, and Lillie Carolina, 2½. Shared Rhett (per Taste of Country): “I feel like in the last four or five years, ‘drowning’ is not the word. For the first time in eight years I feel like Lauren and I — like our kids are doing things for themselves. They’re waking up for school, they’re bathing alone … I feel like Lauren and I are in this freedom phase of life… a different phase of life than we have been for a while. Now it’s a little easier to go on date nights, do stuff with friends, stay up a little bit later – I don’t know, maybe even sleep in a little bit! So much of my music is a reflection of the stage of life we are in – we’re in a very joyful season – and this song is just the tip of the iceberg to the rest of this next album.”

Rhett adds in a statement: “This is an anthem for everybody who feels like they out-kicked their coverage. There was one day a couple years back when I was looking at my wife, and I was like, ‘Why in the world did you choose me?’ I get to be with someone who could easily be on the cover of a magazine, and I get to see her in all her forms — a partner, a mother, a friend, even a philanthropist. I just feel like I’ve got a first row seat at almost-perfection, if you will. And like the song says, ‘Seriously, what is somebody as amazing as you doing with somebody like me?’”

Take a listen to ‘Beautiful as You’ via the lyric video – here.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Jennifer Lopez cancels her summer ‘This Is Me…Now The Tour’

Jennifer Lopez at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's 'Atlas' held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood^ USA on May 20^ 2024.

Jennifer Lopez has canceled her This Is Me…Now The Tour, which was set to kick off next month.

Rumors had been circulating in recent months that many shows were set to be canceled due to poor ticket sales; however, Lopez shared that the tour cancellation was done so to take time off to spend with her ‘children, family, and close friends,’ which was announced directly to fans via her ‘OntheJLo’ Newsletter. Lopez, 54, wrote: “I am completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down. Please know that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t feel that it was absolutely necessary. I promise I will make it up to you and we will all be together again. I love you all so much. Until next time…”  The news also comes amid rumors that Lopez and her husband, Ben Affleck, have separated.

The 30+ city tour was set to begin on June 26th in Orlando with stops across North America in Miami, Los Angeles, Toronto, her hometown of New York City, and more before wrapping up in Houston on August 31st. The tour was intended to support the release of Lopez’s first studio album in nearly a decade, ‘This Is Me…Now’, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.

Live Nation said fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will automatically be refunded. Lopez is currently promoting the release of her Netflix movie “Atlas,” which debuted on the streaming platform on May 24.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Ellen DeGeneres’ final special coming to Netflix, to embark on standup tour

Ellen DeGeneres at the world premiere for "Finding Dory" at the El Capitan Theatre^ Hollywood^ CA. June 8^ 2016

Ellen DeGeneres is returning to Netflix with a new stand-up special, her second for the streaming service, and according to the comedian, ‘her last.’ DeGeneres said in a statement: “To answer the questions everyone is asking me — yes, I’m going to talk about it. Yes, this is my last special. Yes, [wife] Portia [de Rossi] really is that pretty in real life.”

DeGeneres’s special comes six years after the former talk-show host’s last comedy special, 2018’s “Relatable,” as part of a two-special deal with Netflix. The special also marks DeGeneres’ first special since the 2022 end of her eponymous daytime talk show after 19 seasons, which came after she faced personal criticism and claims of a toxic workplace in the summer of 2020. Robbie Praw, VP of stand-up and comedy formats at Netflix, shared in a statement: “There is nobody quite like Ellen. She is a true legend and pioneer in so many ways. We can’t wait to bring fans another one of her hilarious comedy specials later this year.”

DeGeneres is also set to embark on a standup tour titled “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up.” A press release from the show’s producer Live Nation reads: “this summer, she will grace stages across North America for the last time, delivering her iconic and hilarious performances. This will be the last opportunity for fans to witness a comedy legend in her final curtain call.”  

DeGeneres also posted the news on her social media channels, with the caption: “Here it is! These are the cities and dates for my final stand-up tour. ..  Get your tickets at ellenshop.com/tour.”.  The tour will kick-off beginning in San Diego, Calif. on June 19, and culminate in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Aug. 17.  Head HERE for more information.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com