Categories
Pop Daypop

The Weeknd postpones album release and cancels Rose Bowl show amid LA wildfires

In light of the ongoing devastation caused from the wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, The Weeknd has postponed the release of his new album ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ and also canceled the corresponding Rose Bowl concert in Pasadena, California. The album, which was originally scheduled for release on January 24th, has been pushed back a week.

The Weeknd shared the news on social media, writing in a statement: “Out of respect and concern for the people of Los Angeles County, I am canceling the Rose Bowl concert originally scheduled for January 25th. This city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me, and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time. In light of this, I have also decided to push the release of my album to January 31st. My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild.  With Love, Abel”

The one-night-only ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ album release concert at the Rose Bowl was schedule for January 25th. However, the arena and its adjacent parking lot are currently being occupied as a hub for donations to aid victims of the LA wildfires.

Editorial credit: Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

See Rosé in the video for ‘Toxic Till the End’

K-pop star Rosé has released her debut solo album, Rosie.  

Rosie also features the tracks “Number One Girl,” “3AM,” “Two Years,” “Drinks or Coffee,” “Apt.” with Bruno Mars, “Gameboy,” “Stay a Little Longer,” “Not the Same,” “Call It the End,” “Too Bad for Us” and “Dance All Night.”

Rosé – a member of South Korean girl group Blackpink – also dropped the music video for the song “Toxic Till the End”, directed by Ramez Silyan and was filmed at Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island, N.Y.  The video depicts the ups and downs of Rosé’s toxic relationship with a partner (played by model and actor Evan Mock). Check it out: HERE.

Rosé had also previously released the video for her single “Number One Girl,” the follow-up to her chart-topping track “APT” with Bruno Mars. Rosé directed the “Number One Girl” video, which shows her perform at night at different locations in Seoul, including a skate park. Take a look at that visual – HERE.

To stream Rosie, head HERE.

Editorial credit: JuliaDorian / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

LA Wildfires: Santa Ana winds increase as highest level fire alert is issued

Per NBC NEWS: Southern California is braced for “extremely critical fire conditions” caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds today through Wednesday across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Weather officials said that a “particularly dangerous situation” with a red flag warning will go into effect in western Los Angeles County and most of Ventura County on Tuesday’s with winds threatening to further fuel the historic Southern California wildfires. The warning begins at 4 a.m. local time. Winds are forecast to gust between 45 mph to 70 mph, with relative humidity as low as 8%. Overnight, winds gusted up to 67 mph in the mountains near Los Angeles, with the strongest gusts are expected Tuesday morning and early afternoon, which will then be followed by a break in the evening. More gusty winds are expected Wednesday morning.

For the most up-to-date information on this developing story, head to the following news outlets: ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, and CNN.

Editorial credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Federal judge allows release of special counsel’s final report on Trump election interference case

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has ruled that the Justice Department can release Volume One that former special counsel Jack Smith issued on President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Cannon denied a request to extend an injunction banning the Justice Department from releasing Vol. 1, writing: “Based on these representations, the Court sees an insufficient basis to grant emergency injunctive relief as to Volume I”. 

Cannon’s ruling (seen HERE) means that the Justice Department could release the portion of the Smith report that deals with Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss as soon as midnight, barring future legal action from Trump or his team. She kept in place a prohibition on releasing the portion of the report about the classified document case, which the Justice Department said it didn’t intend to release at this point. Cannon has scheduled a hearing on that matter for Jan. 17, three days before Trump’s inauguration.

The Justice Department still has a pending motion before the 11th Circuit asking to release the portion of the report about Jan. 6 immediately, but the court has yet to rule on that motion.

Smith resigned from his position on Friday as special prosecutor after wrapping up the cases and submitting his report to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland has told Congress he will release the volume of the report that deals with Trump’s 2020 efforts when he is legally allowed to do so. The volume of the report that deals with Trump’s handling of classified documents will not be released because two co-defendants are still facing charges.

Editorial credit: Heidi Besen / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Carrie Underwood to perform at Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration Ceremony

Carrie Underwood is set to perform at Donald Trump‘s second inauguration. A Presidential Inaugural Committee spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday, Jan. 13 that Underwood is set to perform at the inauguration where Trump, 78, will be sworn in as the next president of the United States.

The eight-time Grammy winning singer will perform “America the Beautiful” between J.D. Vance and Trump’s Oaths of Office at the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, accompanied by The Armed Forces Chorus and the The United States Naval Academy Glee Club.

Underwood said in a statement: “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Beyoncé donates $2.5 million to Los Angeles fire relief and aid

Beyoncé has pledged $2.5 million through her BeyGOOD nonprofit to support families who have lost their homes in the towns of Altadena and Pasadena, which have both been damaged by the Eaton Fire.

Th BeyGOOD foundation announced via Instagram that she was giving $2.5 million toward an L.A. Fire Relief Fund started by her charity. The caption read: “Los Angeles we stand with you. 🫶🏽. BeyGOOD is taking action by announcing the LA Fire Relief Fund with a donation of 2.5 million dollars. The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires. To show your support for the impacted families and to learn more about BeyGOOD’s mission, please visit https://beygood.org”

Per Deadline, the BeyGOOD LA Fire Relief Fund will also go to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of displaced residents. According to the press release, the foundation has worked with volunteer service organizations and churches to identify homeowners and area residents most in need since the fire’s inception Jan. 7.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

LA Wildfires: Death toll rises to 24 as winds intensify in area

(Per ABC NEWS): Thousands of firefighters are continuing to battle several wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds. About 105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 87,000 are under evacuation warnings.

The wildfires have killed at least 24 people with dozen others remain unaccounted for, as the fires swept through 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities and more than 12,300 structures.

Evacuation orders for the largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, expanded. It is 13% contained and threatens Brentwood, Encino and Westwood.  Los Angeles County declared a public health emergency, warning that smoke and particulate matter could pose immediate and long-term threats (via NBC News).

The National Weather Service Los Angeles office posted “particularly dangerous situation” (PDS) red flag winds warnings for 4 a.m. Tuesday (local time) through noon Wednesday, saying winds could be strong enough to cause “explosive fire growth.”

For the latest, up-to-date information on the Los Angeles wildfires, check news outlets: ABC News, NBC News, CBS News and CNN.

Editorial credit: Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Pres. Biden speaks with Israeli PM Netanyahu on hostage, cease-fire deal

The White House said onn Sunday that President Joe Biden has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a race to reach a Gaza hostage and cease-fire deal before Biden leaves office on Jan. 20. The White House confirmed that Biden and Netanyahu discussed efforts underway to reach a deal to halt the fighting in the Palestinian enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there.

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that the parties were “very, very close” to reaching a deal, but still had to get it across the finish line: “we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done, and we are not, by any stretch of imagination, setting this aside.”

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Sunday: “The prime minister discussed with the American president the progress in the negotiations to release our hostages and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating team to Doha in order to advance the release of our hostages. The prime minister wanted to thank the American President (Joe) Biden and the incoming President Donald Trump for their cooperation for the holy mission.”

The call between Biden and Netanyahu comes after the prime minister has been in meetings with his Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who both had previously rejected a peace proposal laid out by Biden in May of last year, which would pair a release of hostages along with a “full and complete ceasefire.”

Editorial credit: Andy.LIU / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Recording Academy & MusiCares pledge $1M to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts

The Recording Academy and charity foundation MusiCares have pledged $1 million to support artists and music industry professionals impacted by the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

The organizations have teamed up to form the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort, which is also accepting donations to distribute in addition to their guaranteed $1 million. Music industry workers affected by the Los Angeles County fires can apply for relief here.

Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a press release: “The entire Grammy family is shocked and deeply saddened by the situation that is unfolding in Los Angeles. The music community is being so severely impacted but we will come together as an industry to support one another. Our organizations exist to serve music people because music is a powerful force for good in the world, and we hope the broader industry will now rally to this cause.”

Laura Segura, the executive director of MusiCares, added: “We expect the disaster relief efforts in Los Angeles to be extraordinary, if even just on the basis of how many music people have lost their homes in the last day. MusiCares is always committed to ensuring that music professionals are supported in times of crisis, and we ask for the larger community to donate for those in need at this dire time. MusiCares can help with short term emergent needs for those currently displaced, and then longer-term services as we get a handle on the full extent of how music people are impacted.”

Editorial credit: Poetra.RH / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Eminem, Janet Jackson, Alanis Morissette nominated for 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame

Eminem, Janet Jackson, Alanis Morissette, N.W.A., Sheryl Crow, George Clinton, Bryan Adams, Mike Love, Boy George, Steve Winwood, Doobie Brothers, David Gates and Tommy James are among the performers nominated for the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The nominees for the prestigious honor will be voted upon for induction at the organization’s Induction & Awards Gala in New York City, with non-performing songwriters earning nominations including Walter Afanasieff, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Narada Michael Walden, Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan, Mike Chapman, Tony Macaulay, Sonny Curtis, Tom Douglas, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Roger Nichols, Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, Franne Golde and Ashley Gorley. The complete list of is available online at songhall.org.

Eligible voting members select their choices of up to three nominees in each of the songwriter and performing songwriter categories.  A songwriter with a catalog of notable songs qualifies for induction 20 years after their first significant commercial release of a song.

2024 inductees included: R.E.M., Steely Dan, SZA, producer Timbaland and songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Diane Warren and the late Cindy Walker.

Editorial credit: Jgphotographydetroit / Shutterstock.com