LONDON (AP) — There’ll be no early retirement for star singer Phil Collins. The 65-year-old former Genesis frontman Monday announced plans for gigs next summer in London, Paris and Cologne. The tour will be called: “Not Dead Yet, Live.” He officially retired in 2002, but that didn’t last. He last toured in 2007. Collins told … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Drake has nabbed 12 nominations for the 2016 Soul Train Awards. Nominations for the rapper-singer, who canceled three shows this week due to an ankle injury, include video, album/mixtape and song of the year. Beyoncé follows Drake with eight nominations, while Rihanna, Kanye West, Adele, Chance the Rapper, Bryson Tiller and … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Drake earned a record-breaking 13 American Music Awards nominations on Monday thanks to his latest album, “Views,” shattering Michael’s Jackson’s mark of 11 nominations in a single year from 1984 when the King of Pop had “Thriller.” Rihanna got seven nominations and Adele and Justin Bieber tied with five each. Beyonce … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) â Grammy-winning R&B singer Anthony Hamilton has sung the national anthem in the past. Don’t ask him to sing it in the near future. Hamilton’s frustration with “The Star-Spangled Banner” is shared by some other black Americans, who feel like the tune sung before major U.S. events is not the best representation … Continue reading
CLEVELAND (AP) — Toni Braxton says she has been released from a Cleveland hospital after being admitted for complications with her battle against lupus for the second time in a month. The hospitalization forced her scheduled Saturday show in Cleveland to be cancelled. In announcing the hospitalization, a message on the singer’s Twitter account said, … Continue reading
The Associated Press Demi Lovato has announced that she’s “taking a break from music and the spotlight” in the wake of criticism of her comments about Taylor Swift in a magazine interview. In a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, Lovato suggested Swift could do more for feminism “if they’re going to claim that as part … Continue reading
Katy Perry would like to remind voters it doesn’t matter what you wear when you vote. In a video for Funny or Die, the singer shows up at the polls on Election Day with disheveled hair and wearing star spangled pajamas. She says in the clip that she “briefly scanned the Constitution and nowhere does it … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A pair of clips teasing Mary J. Blige’s interview with Hillary Clinton on her upcoming Apple Music show “The 411” isn’t winning over social media users. The teaser featuring the R&B singer crooning Bruce Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)” before clasping hands with Clinton was instantly mocked online after it was released … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — The animated classic “The Lion King” will be the latest Disney film to get a live-action remake. Disney announced Wednesday that Jon Favreau, who helmed the box-office hit “Jungle Book” remake, will direct the new “Lion King.” He’s also at work on a “Jungle Book” sequel. The circle of life now … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black history officially has a new, prominent place in America’s story. With hugs, tears and the ringing of church bells, the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors Saturday to help this nation understand, reconcile and celebrate African-Americans’ often-ignored contributions toward making this country what it … Continue reading
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In royal fashion, New Orleans’ own Queen of Bounce brought out Houston’s own Queen Bey at the Superdome. Big Freedia tells NOLA.com ‘ The Times-Picayune (http://bit.ly/2d1jeSo ) that she was asked to go onstage shortly before the start of Saturday’s night’s concert. In her words, “Well, they’re very secretive about everything … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj, artist-owners of Tidal, will perform at a concert in New York for the streaming service. Tidal announced Wednesday that Lauryn Hill, Common and Robin Thicke will also perform at the Oct. 15 event dubbed “TIDAL X: 1015” at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Pre-sale tickets … Continue reading
The Bad Plus, “It’s Hard” (Okeh Records/Sony Music Masterworks) After focusing mostly on original music on their last four albums, The Bad Plus goes back to their roots on “It’s Hard” with an album of distinctly original covers that recast an eclectic mix of rock and pop tunes in a modern jazz framework. The leaderless … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears’ caretakers and her former confidante have settled a long-running lawsuit that centered on events before the pop star’s public meltdown in 2008. Attorneys for Spears’ father, who is her conservator, filed a notice in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday announcing the settlement with Sam Lutfi, who was Spears’ … Continue reading
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has acknowledged that governing the church wasn’t his strong suit but says he doesn’t see his papacy as a failure and that he succeeded at least in breaking up the Vatican’s so-called “gay lobby.” In a first-ever book by a retired pope reflecting on his papacy, Benedict … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 