Famous

A stage musical about Michael Jackson has pushed its Broadway debut until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Preview performances of “MJ” are now set to begin in March 2021 at the Neil Simon Theatre. The musical — previously called “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” — was to start performances in New York City on July 6.

The musical is inspired by Jackson’s life and music. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage is writing the book, using Jackson’s vast catalog of songs. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph and Ephraim Sykes will star as Jackson.

more...

Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay," was released 15 years ago. On Sunday night (May 24), the singer joined the celebration of the song's anniversary on social media, where #15YearsOfRihanna trended.
"Thank you for all the love on this hashtag today! Man this is trippy," Rihanna wrote in an Instagram story. "Feels like just yesterday I was shaking in the hallways of Def Jam waiting to audition for Jay."

"Pon de Replay is where it all began....15 years later and I'm here because God led me to you, and you guys have held me up, supported me, tolerated me, loved me, kept it too real with me, and we gon always be connected because of that!" she said of the song, which dropped on May 24, 2005 and was included on her first studio album, Music of the Sun

more...

Attachment 39661

Lady Gaga narrowly retains her lead on the U.K. album chart to start a second week at the top with Chromatica (Interscope/Universal).

Chromatica won the album race by fewer than 600 combined units, according to the Official Charts Company. English indie rock band Sports Team's first album for Island/Universal, Deep Down Happy, arrives at No. 2. In physical sales and downloads, the band come out on top, also selling over 4,000 vinyl copies to lead that listing.

more...

Attachment 39833

With the coronavirus pandemic still largely keeping people in their homes around the world, many are wondering when they'll get to see their favorite acts live again. For fans of Elton John, a creative new solution is on the horizon.

On Wednesday (July 1), John announced his brand new "Elton John: Classic Concert Series." Premiering on John's YouTube channel every Saturday for the next six weeks, the new series will see the singer releasing full footage from some of his most iconic performances throughout his career for the first time ever. All proceeds from the new series will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and their continued efforts in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first edition of the series, set to premiere on Friday, July 3, will be footage of John's 1976 concert at the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. The concert featured the superstar performing many of his greatest hits, including his first-ever solo performance of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

more...

Attachment 39887

Katy Perry has released uplifting new song “Smile,” the title track from her upcoming fifth album. Smile will be released on August 14th via Capitol.

Over an upbeat, dance-driven groove to match the positive vibes of the lyrics, Perry extols the virtue of perseverance after suffering setbacks where every day feels like “Groundhog Day” and “going through motions felt so fake.” Ultimately, all the rejection and hard-won lessons pay off, as Perry sings on the chorus: “Now you see me shining from a mile/Finally got back that smile.”

more...

Aftershock Festival 2020, originally scheduled for Oct. 9-11 in Sacramento's Discovery Park, has been pushed back to Oct. 7-10, 2021, with Metallica and My Chemical Romance headlining.

Danny Wimmer Presents, the music festival production and promotion company in charge of Aftershock, added a fourth night in partnership with Jack Daniels to the 2021 edition of the massive West Coast rock festival.

more...

https://static.billboard.com/files/2...5-1024x677.jpg

Katy Perry saved the best for last during her latest #SmileSunday livestream on Sunday (Aug. 18), giving fans a sneak peak of her baby girl's nursery right before signing off.

"I'm going to show you my baby room, ready? Just a little. Just a little sneak peek," said the 35-year-old pop star, who is expecting her first child with fiancé Orlando Bloom.

more...

https://static.billboard.com/files/2...2-1024x677.jpg

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.

Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.

more...

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-cont...ogue-video.jpg

Kylie Minogue hits the dance floor in her new video for “Magic,” the second single off the singer’s upcoming new album Disco.

The video for “Magic” — directed by Sophie Muller who doubles as the album’s visual director — was filmed at London’s famed Fabric nightclub; while Disco will arrive amid a pandemic, leaving venues like Fabric empty, Minogue wanted “to gave fans a moment of escapism to celebrate on a fantasy dance floor.”

“You got me started / Ain’t nothing on earth can stop it / It’s crazy, I’m falling,” Minogue sings on the chorus. “I don’t know what else to call it / Oh do you believe in magic.”

more...

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-cont...70703268-1.jpg

Neil Young’s 2003/04 Greendale tour with Crazy Horse will be chronicled on Return to Greendale, a live album and film coming out on November 6th. It will be available as a two-disc set or limited edition box set with two LPs, two CDs and a documentary, Inside Greendale, about the creation of the album.

Greendale is a rock opera about a fictional small town that is rocked by the death of a beloved police officer. Along the way, it addresses corporate greed, a scandal-obsessed media environment and Bush-era propaganda. It climaxes with one of the central figures, a teenage girl named Sun Green, heading off to Alaska to fight for the environment.

more...