Month: February 2024

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has revealed the nominees for 2024. Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Jane’s Addiction, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinead O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne, Sade and A Tribe Called Quest are up for this year’s honors. The Nominees were announced in partnership with ABC/Disney+ at the TCA in Los Angeles and on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame social channels.

Nominees must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Ten out of 15 of the nominees this year are on the ballot for the first time; including Mariah Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinéad O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne and Sade.

The final list of 2024 inductees will be announced in April, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at a date to be determined this fall in Cleveland.The 2024 gala ceremony will again stream live on Disney+ with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.

John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement: “This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates. Continuing in the true spirit of Rock & Roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”

In order to cast your ballot in the Fan Vote, head to: http://vote.rockhall.com

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Usher was joined by a star-studded array of special guests for his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime show, taking the stage at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday alongside Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Ludacris and Lil Jon.

Usher performed some of his biggest hits, including ‘Caught Up,’ U Got It Bad,’ ‘Superstar’, ‘My Boo,’ ‘OMG,’ ‘Confessions,’ and of course the grand finale, ‘Yeah!’

Take a look at the finale of Usher’s halftime show courtesy of the NFL’s X post: here.

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Beyoncé surprised fans when she announced new country-themed music during Super Bowl LVIII.  The 42-year-old superstar posted a video via Instagram on Sunday, February 11, and announced that her next release, titled ‘Act II: Renaissance’ will drop on March 29. ‘Act I: Renaissance’ was released in July 2022.

In the country-style video announcement on Instagram begins with a car driving to Texas’ rural countryside, as a group of men gather and seemingly look at the sky. The car drives off as Beyoncé sings, “This ain’t Texas. Ain’t no hold ‘em. So lay our cards down, down, down, down.”

Shortly thereafter, the singer posted another clip to Instagram announcing that two new tracks, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES out now.’  Both tracks are available to stream on TIDAL and YouTube.

The surprise album announcement came after Beyoncé starred in a commercial for Verizon, in which she (with the help of Tony Hale) tried to break the internet through a series of promotional stunts. The ad ended with Beyoncé exclaiming, “Drop the new music!” with no further information revealed at the time.

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Lionsgate and Universal Pictures announced in a press release that actor Miles Teller has joined the cast of the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ in the role of John Branca, Jackson’s high-powered attorney. ‘Michael’ is directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by John Logan, with production currently underway. Branca also serves as a producer on the film, alongside John McClain as co-executors of Jackson’s estate. Teller’s Branca is described as “the unyielding attorney who shepherded Michael Jackson’s career as he transitioned from a singing sensation in a boy band to the world-renowned King of Pop.”

Producer Graham King said:“Miles is a compelling screen presence, whom I’ve admired since watching him in Whiplash. He’s the perfect actor to capture John’s enigmatic persona. From our earliest development conversations, it was clear the emotional connection that John still has to Michael. He graciously allowed us to use him as a character in the film and I’m thrilled that it’s Miles who will portray a relationship that extended over 3 decades, through Michael’s greatest triumphs and most difficult days.”  Fuqua added in a statement: “Miles’ finely tuned skills as an actor are up to the challenge of playing a man who is being examined for the pivotal role he played in Michael Jackson’s life. He is the perfect actor to disappear into the role of John Branca.”

‘Michael’ stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who will be introduced to audiences in the starring role of the musical icon, with 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi portraying the younger Jackson. Colman Domingo and Nia Long will portray Michael’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson.

An official filml synopsis says that ‘Michael’ will give “a riveting and honest portrayal” of Michael Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his iconic performances.”  ‘Michael’ will be released in theaters on April 18, 2025.

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Disney announced on X that the ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ concert film will be available for streaming next month on Disney+. In a statement, Disney CEO Bob Iger said: “The Eras Tour has been a true phenomenon that has and continues to thrill fans around the world, and we are very excited to bring this electrifying concert to audiences wherever they are, exclusively through Disney+.”

Swift also posted the news on Instagram: “This week is truly the best kind of chaos. I’m thrilled to let you know I’ve found a streaming home for The Eras Tour Concert Film, and that home will be @disneyplus. For the first time we’ll be showing the entire concert (including “cardigan”, plus 4 additional songs from the acoustic section!!) and I’m calling it, huge shock, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)”. Available starting March 15 which is actually very ”

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) will stream starting March 15. The film will include all songs from the three Los Angeles tour dates during which it was filmed at SoFi Stadium, and will include the song “cardigan,” as well as four additional acoustic surprise songs from the tour: “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “You Are in Love” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts.” The film was one of the biggest box office sensations of 2023 and stands as the top-grossing concert documentary movie of all time, grossing $180.8 million domestically and $80.9 million overseas for a total of $261.1 million against a mere $15 million budget.

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