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Entertainment Daypop

Actress Alicia Witt’s parents found dead at their home after welfare check

Actress Alicia Witt announced that her parents were found dead in their home, after a relative performed a welfare check on them after Witt hadn’t heard from them ‘for several days.’

Witt, 46, said in a statement: “I reached out to a cousin who lives close to my parents to check on them. Sadly, the outcome was unimaginable. I ask for some privacy at this time to grieve and to wrap my head around this turn of events, and this surreal loss.”  Witt asked the family member to check on her mother, Diane Witt, and her father, Robert Witt, at their Worcester, Massachusetts, home on Monday, December 2oth.  Alicia’s relative called the police to ask for assistance in checking on the Witts. Once officers entered the house, they found the couple deceased but discovered no obvious causes of death. The police listed Robert’s age as 87 and Diane’s as 75.  The fire department also visited the residence to check on the home’s air quality, but firefighters found no evidence of carbon monoxide or other dangerous gases. The Massachusetts medical examiner will perform autopsies to determine the Witts’ cause of death.

Witt made her acting debut at age 7 in 1984’s “Dune”and has also appeared in “Orange Is the New Black,” “Twin Peaks” and “The Walking Dead.”

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Rock Daypop

ZZ Top sells entire music catalog and royalties for $50 Million

Legendary blues-rock group ZZ Top has sold their “entire music interests” to BMG and KKR for $50 million. The deal includes the complete sale of the band’s publishing catalog, their recorded royalties, and their performance royalties.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said: “This deal is a testament to the success, staying power, and continuing musical relevance of ZZ Top, but also to the power of our partnership with KKR. This agreement furthers our vision of providing artists and songwriters, not just a financial exit, but also a vehicle committed to respecting and treasuring their artistry.”

ZZ Top’s manager, Carl Stubner, said, “We are proud to continue working with and expand our long-standing relationship with BMG. This new deal ensures ZZ Top’s remarkable legacy will endure for generations to come.”

Many artists have recently sold their catalogs; Bob Dylan sold his catalog for an unspecified “nine-figure” number last year, and BMG acquired catalogs from Tina Turner and Motley Crue.  Just this month, Bruce Springsteen made headlines for a $550 million deal selling his catalog to Sony.

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Rock Daypop

‘Beale Street Music Festival 2022’ announces lineup, including Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins & More

Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, The Smashing Pumpkins and Three 6 Mafia will headline the 2022 lineup of the “Beale Street Music Festival.” The event, which returns after two years off due to the pandemic, will be held at Memphis Fairgrounds April 29 – May 1, 2022 while its usual home of Tom Lee Park is redesigned.

Modest Mouse, Lindsey Buckingham, Moneybagg Yo, DaBaby, and The Glorious Sons are also aboard for Beale Street Music Festival 2022. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sarkodie, Dirty Honey, Soccer Mommy, Trigger Hippy, Sue Foley and Kenny Brown round out the event’s initial lineup.

The full lineup featuring over 60 artists will be announced in early February. Foo Fighters previously played Beale Street Music Festival in 2000 and 2004. Various Beale Street Music Festival 2021 ticket packages are on sale now here.

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Entertainment Daypop

Ryan Seacrest extends deal to host ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

46-year-old television and radio personality Ryan Seacrest has signed a multi-year deal extension with MRC Live & Alternative to host and executive produce ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve for years to come. 2021 will mark Seacrest’s 17th year as host and the special’s 50th anniversary. This year’s show will air Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Seacrest said: “It’s been a privilege to spend the last 17 years ringing in the new year on Times Square with friends in person and at home. I’m looking forward to continuing the traditions and making new memories as we go into this next chapter. I’m grateful I get to do what I love every year and collaborate with the best-in-class teams at MRC and ABC on this annual event.”

Seacrest first joined the special in 2005 after creator and original host Dick Clark had a stroke. Clark served as co-host until his death in 2012. This year, Seacrest will host the New York special in Times Square; and Billy Porter and Ciara will host the New Orleans and Los Angeles celebrations, respectively.

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Entertainment Daypop

‘Jagged Little Pill’ closes permanently on Broadway amid COVID-19 surge

Jagged Little Pill, the Broadway play based on Alanis Morissette’s Grammy-winning album of the same name, is officially closing. The show halted performances due to the sudden surge of Omicron-specific cases on Saturday, December 18, and the following week the producers announced that the show will not reopen.

A statement posted on Jagged Little Pill’s Instagram page read“We are dismayed by what appears to be another substantial public health crisis, and— due to the detection of multiple positive COVID-19 cases within the company—need to prioritize the health and safety of the cast, crew, and entire team working on ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ In light of the extreme uncertainty ahead of us this winter, and forced to choose between continuing performances and protecting our company, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.”

Jagged Little Pill first opened in 2019 and features music and lyrics by Morissette, and a book by Diablo Cody.  Morissette also wrote new songs for the Broadway musical. These songs help tell the story of the Healy family as they encounter topics like addiction and sexual assault. The show won two Tony Awards with 15 nominations, and it also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

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Rock Daypop

Listen to Evanescence’s rendition of The Beatles song ‘Across The Universe’

Evanescence has brought their version of The Beatles‘ “Across the Universe” to streaming services for the first time, four yers after they first covered the legendary track. “Across the Universe,” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was first released in 1969 under the charity compilation album No One’s Gonna Change Our World. A different version later appeared on The Beatles’ studio album Let It Be in 1970.

Evanescence first performed “Across the Universe” in 2018 during its Synthesis World Tour. In spring 2021, Evanescence released a studio version of their cover on the deluxe box set for the band’s recent studio album The Bitter Truth, which went No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Hard Rock Albums chart.  The band wrote on Twitter: “It was such a pleasure to cover this legendary song,” adding that its version of “Across the Universe” can be found on all digital streaming providers.

Listen to Evanescence’s version of “Across the Universe” – here.

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Rock Daypop

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss perform on NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert’ series

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are sharing their performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series in support of their new album, “Raise The Roof.”

For the “home” edition of the long-running program, the pair were joined by an all-star cast of musicians at Sound Emporium studios in Nashville, TN – where they recorded the project in 2019 – to deliver a three-song set of tracks from the project. “Raise The Roof” is the follow-up to Plant and Krauss’ Grammy Award-winning 2007 record, “Raising Sand”, and recently debuted at No. 7 on the US Billboard 200.

Check out Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concerthere.

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Entertainment Daypop

Trevor Noah files lawsuit against NYC Hospital and doctor over alleged botched surgery

Trevor Noah has sued a hospital and doctor in New York City after they allegedly botched a surgery he underwent in 2020. The 37-year-old ‘The Daily Show’ sued Dr. Riley J. Williams III and the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, according to court documents.

According the the documents, Trevor was a patient between August 25, 2020 and December 17, 2020, and underwent the surgery with the doctor at the hospital on November 23, 2020. In the court documents,  The lawsuit claims that the defendants “were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for [him] in a careful and skillful manner, and failing to use approved methods in general use in the care and treatment.”  The lawsuit also alleges that the hospital and doctor failed “to prescribe proper medications, failed to discontinue certain prescription medications, and failed to use proper tests and examinations in order to diagnose the conditions” that Trevor was suffering from, adding that he suffered “serious personal injury” after the surgery, some of which are “permanent, severe, and grievous.”

The Hospital for Special Surgery has denied Trevor‘s claims with a representative saying that the comedian’s claims are “meritless.” The representative shared in a statement: “HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Trevor Noah. We have shared with Mr. Noah’s attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless. Due to HIPAA we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient. The hospital is “committed to excellence in the care we provide to each of the more than 150,000 patients we treat each year.”

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Entertainment Daypop

‘Fast & Furious 10’ delaying its release date until May 2023

Universal Pictures has pushed back action sequel Fast & Furious 10 to May 19, 2023. Series stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson. Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang are all expected to return for the latest installment in the F&F franchise.

“F&F 10,” from frequent series director Justin Lin, was originally set to hit theaters on April 7, 2023. The most recent film in the Fast & Furious series, titled ‘F9: The Fast Saga,’ debuted in theaters this past June and earned $726.6 million worldwide. The end credits scene for F9: The Fast Saga featured Jason Statham returning to his role as Deckard Shaw.  It has also been announced that director Justin Lin will also be helming “Fast & Furious 11,” which is expected to be the last film of the franchise’s main series of movies.

In place of  Fast & Furious 10’s original release date, Universal has instead moved an as-yet-untitled DreamWorks Animation film into the April 7, 2023 opening spot.

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Rock Daypop

Bruce Springsteen sells music catalog to Sony Music for $500 Million

Bruce Springsteen has sold his music rights to Sony Music in an estimated $500 million deal.  According to reports, the deal includes the singer’s recorded music catalog as well as his body of work as a songwriter — including classic hits such as “Born to Run,” “Blinded by the Light” and “Born in the U.S.A.”

Springsteen is the latest musician to sell all or parts of their catalogs following, among others, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Paul Simon, Shakira and Neil Young. Last year, Dylan sold his full publishing catalog for a reported sum of $300 million to Universal Music Publishing Group, while Fleetwood Mac’s Nicks sold a majority stake in her catalog, reportedly for $100 million.

The 72-year-old Springsteen has been with Sony’s Columbia Records for his entire 50-year career, selling more than 150 million records.

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