MUSIC NEWS: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
YOUNG THUG - ARRESTED
Young Thug has been arrested on drug and gun charges outside Atlanta. Police in Brookhaven, Georgia, say an officer pulled over a 2016 Mercedes-Benz Maybach carrying three men because they thought the window tint was too dark. Young Thug and the two men with him were arrested. DeKalb County Jail records show all three were released on bond. Young Thug's attorney, Brian Steel, tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the allegations against his client are false.
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DADDY YANKEE - PUERTO RICANS
Daddy Yankee has pledged one-million dollars to help his native Puerto Rico after the devastation of hurricane Maria.
Daddy Yankee stills lives in Puerto Rico and says he felt the call to help. He says his long-term goal is to ``ensure that the largest number of families on the island have a safe roof.'' His donation will be split among the charities Feeding America, the American Red Cross, Habitat For Humanity and local organizations. His fans have donated 10 truckloads of supplies at his concerts.
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LADY ANTEBELLUM - PUERTO RICO
Singer Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum says the band is ``heartbroken'' to see the damage Puerto Rico has suffered after hurricane Maria because they were just there filming a video.
Lady Antebellum shot the video for ``Heart Break'' in San Juan earlier this year. They have released the video and pledged 200-thousand dollars to the charities MusiCares and United For Puerto Rico to help hurricane relief efforts. Band mate Dave Haywood says they feel personally connected to helping those affected by the hurricane.
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NANCY WILSON - HEART
To use guitarist Nancy Wilson's words, ``The molecules of Heart may never amass once again, but it remains to be seen.'' She's estranged from her sister, singer Ann Wilson, after Ann's husband was arrested for assaulting Nancy's teenage sons last year. Nancy says both she and Ann felt like victims in very different ways. She says just opening up a conversation has been really difficult. In the meantime, Nancy has teamed up with former New Power Generation singer Liv Warfield for a new project called Roadcase Royale. Their debut album, ``First Things First,'' is out now.
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JASON MRAZ - ``WAITRESS''
Jason Mraz will play the doctor in the Broadway version of ``Waitress'' and it's all because of Sara Bareilles (bah-REL'-ihs). She says she personally reached out to Mraz to take the part. Bareilles wrote the music for ``Waitress.'' Mraz knows the music already. He recorded ``Bad Idea'' and ``You Matter To Me'' for Bareilles' version of the show's soundtrack. It will be Mraz's Broadway debut and he says he hopes he lives up to the hype. He will do a ten-week run with ``Waitress'' beginning Nov. 3rd.
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CHER - MUSICAL
The musical based on Cher's life will open on Broadway next fall after a run in Chicago next summer. ``The Cher Show'' will debut at Chicago's Oriental Theatre beginning June 12th.
The exact dates of the Broadway run have not been confirmed. The show has not yet been cast, but three actresses will portray Cher at different parts in her life.
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NIKKI SIXX - BOY GEORGE - ALESSIA CARA - ``THE LAUNCH''
TORONTO (AP) _ Nikki Sixx, Boy George and Brampton, Ontario's Alessia Cara have been added as mentors on the music competition show ``The Launch.'' Jennifer Nettles and Julia Michaels have also been added as mentors. Previously announced mentors are Canadian superstar Shania Twain, Fergie and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. Big Machine Records founder and former ``American Idol'' adviser Scott Borchetta is producing the show. It will pit teams of unsigned musicians against each other to write and record a song in two days. Details on when and where it will air have not yet been announced.
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MACKLEMORE - AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL ISSUE
As Australia conducts a nationwide ballot to gauge public opinion on gay marriage, Macklemore is jumping into the debate with a single song. Macklemore will headline the pre-game show at the National Rugby League Grand Final in Sydney on Sunday, sort of the Australian equivalent of the Super Bowl. He's already announced that his song ``Same Love'' will be in his set.
Macklemore tells a Los Angeles radio station he's ``getting a lot of tweets from angry, old white dudes in Australia.'' The results of Australia's mail-in poll will be announced Nov. 15th. If a majority supports gay marriage, Australia's Parliament will consider a bill to legalize it within a month.
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MEGHAN TRAINOR - ``BROKEN RECORD''
Meghan Trainor will write music for a drama about a girl group that will run on A-B-C. The Hollywood Reporter reports the show ``Broken Record'' will be about a group called The Candies who reunite nine years after their breakup because of a tragedy. Trainor also will be the show's executive producer. No word on when the show will debut.
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PLAYBOY - COVER
What do Farrah Fawcett, Madonna, Sharon Stone and Robin Givens have in common? If you guessed that they all graced the cover of Playboy magazine, you're right. They were among the biggest female stars on the planet photographed for the magazine, whose founder, Hugh Hefner has died. Others getting the cover treatment include Lindsay Lohan, Drew Barrymore, Jenny McCarthy, Naomi Campbell and Anna Nicole Smith. B-C born actress Pamela Anderson has the record for most Playboy covers, scoring features in 13 issues.
The first to do a Playboy cover? Marilyn Monroe, for the magazine's 1953 debut issue. It sold out.
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PLAYBOY MANSION - FUTURE
It became synonymous with Hugh Hefner and his lifestyle. And now that Hefner has died, the Playboy Mansion will see an end to the numerous parties and social events at the Holmby Hills, California estate. A neighbour bought the property for 100-million dollars last year _ with the stipulation that Hefner could live out the rest of his years there. The new owner says he plans to connect the mansion to his own two-acre digs next door. The homes were originally built in the 1920s as a single estate.
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(The Associated Press)
