Amazon Studios confirmed that a Lord of the Rings TV series is in the works after the streaming service agreed to a multi-season commitment with the J.R.R. Tolkien estate and New Line Cinema,Deadlinereports. The series will reimagine Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel in a Middle Earth different than filmmaker Peter Jackson’s …
Read More »Taylor Swift's Heartfelt 'Reputation' Letter Tackles Fame, 'Oversharing'
Taylor Swift‘s direct address to her fans for her new album, Reputation, comes in the form of a heartfelt prologue letter – included with physical copies of the LP – which encourages fans not to believe everything they hear or see when it comes to rumors. “Here’s something I’ve learned …
Read More »GOP Tax Plan: The Biggest Winners and Losers
The Republican tax plan now up for debate in the House is a budget-buster, creating $1.7 trillion in new deficits over ten years. It’s another mark of ideological bankruptcy from a party that, just a few years ago, shut down the government – and threatened to throw America into default …
Read More »Why Country Stars Need to Sound Off on Gun Control at the CMA Awards
There’s a song on Blake Shelton’s 2013 album Based on a True Story… titled “Granddaddy’s Gun” that sums up the warm feelings you can have for a cold, inanimate weapon. Written by Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Bobby Pinson, the nostalgic ballad connects the narrator to his family history, specifically …
Read More »Jay-Z: Meek Mill Prison Sentence 'Unjust and Heavy-Handed'
Jay-Z denounced Meek Mill‘s two-to-four year prison sentence for violating probation as “unjust and heavy-handed” in a message on FacebookMonday night. “The sentence handed down by the Judge – against the recommendation of the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer – is unjust and heavy-handed,” Jay-Z said. “We will always …
Read More »Watch Miley Cyrus Debut 'Younger Now' Songs, Do 'The Baby Step' on 'SNL'
Miley Cyrus returned to Saturday Night Live to perform a pair of songs from her new LP Younger Now and appear in two sketches. For her first performance of the night, Cyrus delivered a sultry take on her “Bad Mood.” Cyrus later performed her new album’s sparse ballad “I Would …
Read More »Why This Tough, Wild World Series Was So Much Fun to Watch
You could call it the best World Series ever or one of the most heartbreaking, depending on who you root for. But the 2017 World Series was easily up there with the most exciting battles in the history of baseball and the pursuit of the Commissioner’s Trophy. After a seven-game, …
Read More »Hear U2's Exuberant New Song Featuring Kendrick Lamar
U2 recruited Kendrick Lamar for a spoken word cameo on their exuberant new song “Get Out of Your Own Way,” the latest preview of their upcoming 14th LP, Songs of Experience. The track opens with Bono crooning over a quiet electronic pulse and bass before building to an arena-size chorus …
Read More »David Fricke Looks Back on Frank Zappa's Epic 1977 Halloween Shows
I missed the birth of a tradition – the advanced, instrumental ecstasy, cliff-edge improvisation and impromptu theatrical hijinks of Frank Zappa‘s annual Halloween concerts in New York City – by less than a week and a 90-minute drive. On November 5th, 1974, I saw Zappa in performance for the first …
Read More »Kevin Spacey Apologizes, Comes Out After Actor Alleges Underage Advances
Update: GLAAD chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis responded toKevin Spacey‘s apology regarding his alleged sexual misconduct, in which he also publicly came out. “Coming out storiesshould not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault,” Ellis said. “This is not a coming out story about Kevin Spacey, but a …
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