Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift lead MTV Video Music Awards

NEW YORK, United States - Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton artist who's among the world's biggest stars, scored MTV's artist of the year award Sunday at the annual Video Music Awards.

But the performer was conspicuously absent from the show: he was busy with his own blockbuster tour, playing the second night of a sold out concert at Yankee Stadium that over the weekend drew some 100,000 fans.

Bad Bunny, wearing a satin pink suit and white sunglasses, accepted the award via video and also delivered a seismic performance of his smash "Titi Me Pregunto" from the baseball stadium in New York, where the song has soundtracked the streets for months.

"Thank you so much, New York," the 28-year-old said in Spanish to resounding applause.

"From the beginning I always believed that I could be great, that I could be one of the biggest stars in the world, without changing my culture, my language," he said. "I'm Benito Antonio Martinez from Puerto Rico -- for the whole world."

In a sure sign that pandemic-stymied touring was back in full swing, another of the year's biggest stars, Harry Styles, also couldn't make it to the VMAs -- which aired from New Jersey's Prudential Center -- due to his own show at Madison Square Garden.

The artist who dropped "Harry's House" this year also accepted his award for the year's best album via video, before heading back to his own global concert run.

SWIFT ALBUM ON THE WAY

Taylor Swift was also among the night's big winners, turning heads on the red carpet in a dress dripping with crystals before winning the night's top prize of music video of the year for her 10-minute-long film "All Too Well." 

"I'm so proud of what we made," said the 32-year-old, who has been making good on her vow to re-record her first six albums so she can control the rights to them.

"We wouldn't have been able to make this short film if it weren't for you, the fans," Swift said onstage. "Because I wouldn't be able to re-record my albums if it weren't for you. You emboldened me to do that."

She then gave fans a gift in return, announcing that her new album will come out October 21.

Shortly after the broadcast's end, the megastar revealed the new project's name.

"Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight," she wrote on social media.

Hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj reigned over the evening as the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Video Vanguard Award.

Wearing her signature pink wig, the hip-hop icon from Queens delivered a medley of her hits including "Super Bass" and her most recent single "Super Freaky Girl."

Brazil's Anitta also turned heads with a booty-popping performance before winning the award for best Latin video for "Envolver."

"I was born and raised in the ghetto of Brazil, and for whoever was born there, we would never think this was possible," she said when accepting the trophy.

JOHNNY DEPP APPEARS

Iconic stoner comedy duo Cheech and Chong awarded the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the Global Icon Award, before the California rockers performed and also paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the late Foo Fighters drummer.

Eminem and Snoop Dogg opened their performance sitting on a couch as Snoop smoked a giant -- albeit fake -- blunt, before the pair headed to the metaverse for a trippy, animated performance of their latest collaboration "From the D 2 the LBC."

Marshmello and Khalid performed "Numb" with neon, disorienting visuals that created a brief but heady rave effect, while South Korea's Blackpink gave their first show at a US awards night ever.

Lizzo also performed before scoring the Video For Good award -- which honors videos with social or political messages -- for her song "About Damn Time."

Wearing a cone-bra corseted dress that recalled Madonna, the superstar thanked fans for voting for her to receive the award before nodding to US politics.

"Vote to change some of these laws that are oppressing us," the star urged.

And at the awards show that's historically far better known for its antics than actual prizes, Johnny Depp -- fresh off his controversial defamation trial against his ex-partner Amber Heard -- appeared as the MTV Moonman, his head digitally superimposed on the flying astronaut.

"You know what? I needed the work," said the 59-year-old actor.

Agence France Presse

After sensational trial, Johnny Depp releases an album

Fresh off his highly publicized, controversial defamation suit, actor Johnny Depp sought to show his creative career was back on track Friday, releasing an album with English rocker Jeff Beck.

The 13-track album "18" on which Depp sings and plays guitar features mainly covers, and so far it has been critically panned. 

It's a record unlikely to figure prominently in the repertoire of Beck, the 78-year-old former member of The Yardbirds.

The album includes renditions of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and John Lennon's "Isolation," as well as the Velvet Underground classic "Venus In Furs."

The choice to include a song focused on sadomasochism might seem bizarre to some, given the ultra-mediatized trial centered on alleged domestic abuse between Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor best known for her role in "Aquaman."

The album also includes two songs the 59-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star penned himself: "This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr," and "Sad Motherfuckin' Parade."

"Erased by the same world that made her a star / Spun out of beauty, trapped by its web," Depp sings of Lamarr, who secluded herself in the final years of her life.

Bad Boys, Hollywood Vampires 

Depp and Beck met in 2016, bonding "over cars and guitars" before the latter said he began to appreciate "Depp's serious songwriting skills and ear for music."

They began working on this LP in 2019.

It's far from Depp's first foray into music: the actor for more than a decade has recorded and toured with the Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup he started with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry.

Beck is currently on tour in Europe with Depp as a special guest.

This spring Depp won $15 million in the defamation suit against Heard, who was awarded $2 million.

The jury found that Heard, 36, defamed Depp in describing herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post, although she did not identify the actor by name. Depp held he suffered reputational damage following its publication.

Heard received $2 million in damages because the jury found that one of Depp's lawyers had defamed her.

The six-week trial gained widespread attention not least because it was televised and live streamed, with clips making their way to social media as Heard became a target of online vitriol and mockery.

In its aftermath, Depp is embarking on a return to acting, set to star in the forthcoming French movie "La Favorite."

He will play King Louis XV, with filming locations including Versailles.

Agence France-Presse

Final refrain for iPod as Apple stops production

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple put out word it is no longer making iPods, the trend-setting MP3 players that transformed how people get music and gave rise to the iPhone.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices nearly 21 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was sold.

It packed "a mind-blowing 1,000 songs" the company said at the time, and together with Apple's iTunes shop established a new distribution model for the music industry.

Buying complete albums on vinyl gave way to paying 99 cents a piece for selected digital songs.

Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would eat away at sales of one-trick devices such as iPod MP3 players.

The trend toward streaming music services, including one by Apple, has made devices designed just for carrying digital tunes around less enticing for consumers.

Apple said in a blog post that the current generation of iPods will only be available as long as current supplies last.

"Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry," said Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak.

"It also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared."

Joswiak said that the "spirit of iPod" lives on in its lineup of products including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and its HomePod smart speaker.

"Since its introduction over 20 years ago, iPod has captivated users all over the world who love the ability to take their music with them on the go," Apple said in a blog post.

"Today, the experience of taking one’s music library out into the world has been integrated across Apple’s product line - from iPhone and Apple Watch to iPad and Mac."

In addition, the Apple Music subscription service provides streaming access to more than 90 million songs, the Silicon Valley giant said.

The iPod endured despite analyst worries that the release of the iPhone in 2007 would destroy demand, since the smartphones provided much more than just digital music.

News of the end of the line for iPod prompted a flurry of sad, nostalgic posts on Twitter.

"Damn... low-key a little sad to see that Apple has officially discontinued the iPod from today," said a tweet fire off from the verified @MrDalekJD account of a UK Gaming YouTuber.

"This thing changed the music game forever. RIP."

Agence France-Presse

U2’s Bono gives ‘freedom’ concert in Kyiv metro

KYIV — Irish rock group U2’s frontman Bono and his bandmate The Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday and praised Ukrainians fighting for their freedom from Russia.

“Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now… The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 gathered inside the Khreshchatyk metro station. He was referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, pressing towards Kyiv before withdrawing its forces from near the capital at the end of March to concentrate its firepower on eastern Ukraine.

“I am grateful to [Bono, U2] for supporting our people and drawing even more attention to the need to help our people,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Russia, which calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation,” continues to carry out missile strikes across Ukraine. However, some life has returned to Kyiv even though air raid sirens sound regularly.

Bono rallied the crowd between songs during his performance.

“This evening, 8th of May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you’ll be free at last,” he said. “They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride.”

-reuters

Judge tosses most of lawsuit by Mariah Carey's brother over singer's memoir

NEW YORK — A New York judge dismissed most of a defamation lawsuit by Mariah Carey's older brother over her 2020 best-selling memoir, though the singer must still face two claims.

In a 29-page decision on Tuesday, Justice Barbara Jaffe of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan said Morgan Carey can sue his sister over passages suggesting he distributed cocaine to "the beautiful people," and implying he might have "been-in-the-system" -- in prison -- for a serious crime.

But the judge dismissed claims over seven other passages from "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," including one discussing a fight between Morgan Carey and the Careys' father that required police intervention.

Jaffe said that while that passage "reasonably conveys a defamatory inference that plaintiff was abusive toward his family," Morgan Carey, who is about a decade older than his sister, failed to show he suffered "special damages" resulting from harm to his reputation.

The judge also dismissed claims against the memoir's publishers, saying it wasn't clear how Mariah Carey's "alleged vindictiveness" showed that they knew the disputed passages were false or had serious doubts they were true.

Lawyers for Morgan Carey and the publishers declined to comment on Wednesday. Lawyers for Mariah Carey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mariah Carey's memoir described a dysfunctional poverty-stricken childhood and early career struggles for the 51-year-old singer known for songs including "Vision of Love," "One Sweet Day" and "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

The defendants included the memoir's co-author, the publisher Macmillan and Andy Cohen Books, an imprint named for the television producer and Bravo host.

The case is Carey v Carey et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 152192/2021.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter

-reuters

'Nevermind': Judge dismisses lawsuit by man who was naked baby on Nirvana album

A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a lawsuit by a man who said the grunge rock group Nirvana sexually exploited him by putting a photo of him as a naked, four-month-old baby on the cover of its classic 1991 album "Nevermind."

U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin on Monday dismissed the lawsuit after the plaintiff Spencer Elden missed a deadline to respond to the defendants' motion to dismiss the case.

Olguin gave Elden until Jan. 13 to file an amended complaint to address alleged problems the defendants identified in his case.

A lawyer for Elden did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

In his lawsuit filed last August, Elden, by then aged 30, claimed he had suffered "lifelong damages" from the album cover, which depicted him swimming naked toward a dollar bill pierced with a fish hook.

Elden sought at least $150,000 in damages from each of several defendants, including Universal Music Group, Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, and Courtney Love, the widow of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain who died in 1994.

"Nevermind" is one of the best-selling albums ever, with sales topping 30 million worldwide. It features Nirvana's signature song "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

In seeking a dismissal of Elden's case, the defendants said his claim that the photo amounted to child pornography was "on its face, not serious" under the circumstances.

They cited a 1994 court ruling which said no one could seriously believe a painting by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir of a nude woman, or an innocuous family photo of a naked child in a bathtub, violated child pornography laws.

 

The defendants also said Elden could not claim to be a victim after spending three decades "profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed 'Nirvana Baby.'"

Elden has posed as an adult to recreate the photo, including with "Nevermind" tattooed on his chest. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Karishma Singh)

-reuters

BTS' Suga tests positive for COVID-19

SEOUL  - Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from in-person concerts in the United States, the group's management said on Friday.

Suga, 28, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Friday during his self quarantine upon his return home on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music.

He had received his second COVID-19 vaccination in August, had not come in contact with any other members recently and was not showing any symptoms, the company said.

"He is currently administering self-care at home," it said in a statement. "We see the artists' health as our top priority, and will do everything we can to aid SUGA in his speedy recovery."

The band has had "a number of personal engagements in the United States" after holding their first in-person concerts in Los Angeles since the start of the pandemic.

Big Hit has said BTS would take a break over year-end holidays and prepare for a new concert and album.

Since their 2013 debut, BTS has spearheaded a global K-Pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people.

The group won the top prize of artist of the year at the American Music Awards for the first time in November, and best pop song for their summer hit "Butter," among other awards.

As the pandemic swept the world, BTS postponed and then called off what would have been their biggest global tour involving nearly 40 concerts last year, resorting to online shows. 

-reuters

Billie Eilish says watching porn from age 11 'really destroyed my brain'

LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish has spoken about an addiction to watching pornography, starting at age 11, and how it gave her nightmares and messed her up when she started dating.

Eilish, who turns 20 on Saturday, was speaking on "The Howard Stern Show" on Sirius XM radio on Monday.

"I think porn is a disgrace. I used to watch a lot of porn, to be honest. I started watching porn when I was, like, 11,” the "Bad Guy" singer said, saying it helped her feel as if she were cool and "one of the guys."

"I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn,” she added, saying she suffered nightmares because some of the content she watched was so violent and abusive.

Eilish, who was homeschooled in Los Angeles and has seven Grammy Awards, is known for her often dark lyrics.

In the ballad "Male Fantasy" on her second album "Happier Than Ever," she sings about being home alone and distracting herself with pornography as she recalls a broken relationship.

Eilish said she is now angry at herself for thinking it was OK to watch so much porn.

"The first few times I, you know, had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good. It was because I thought that’s what I was supposed to be attracted to,” she said.

Eilish, who started her career wearing baggy clothes to prevent people from commenting on her body, became the youngest person in history to win all four of the top Grammy Awards in the same year when she took home the statuettes for new artist, album, record and song of the year in 2020 at age 18.

The singer said her fame had made it hard to date.

"It's really hard to meet people when, you know, people are either terrified of you or think you're out of their league," Eilish told Stern.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles Editing by Matthew Lewis

Can’t shake this: Taylor Swift to face copyright lawsuit

LOS ANGELES  – Pop superstar Taylor Swift must face a lawsuit from songwriters who claim the Grammy-winning singer copied their lyrics in her 2014 hit single “Shake It Off,” a California judge has ruled.

In a decision issued on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected Swift’s bid to throw out a suit that said she took wording from 2014 song “Playas Gon’ Play” by R&B girl group 3LW.

Fitzgerald said there were “some noticeable differences” between the songs but also “enough objective similarities” that the case should go to a jury trial.

“Although Defendants have made a strong closing argument for a jury, they have not shown that there are no genuine issues of triable fact,” the judge wrote.

A spokeswoman for Swift had no comment on Friday. In 2017, her representatives had called the songwriters’ claim of copyright infringement “ridiculous” and “nothing more than a money grab.”

In “Shake It Off,” Swift sings: “the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

“Playas Gon’ Play,” written by Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, included the phrases “players, they gonna play, and haters, they gonna hate.”

Hall and Butler said the combination of playas or players with hatas or haters was unique to its use in their song. The pair are seeking unspecified damages.

Their case had been thrown out in 2018 but the pair appealed and suit was revived.

-reuters

BTS named artist of the year at 2021 American Music Awards

South Korean boy group BTS was named artist of the year at the American Music Awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21 — the top prize at the world’s largest fan-voted ceremony.

The K-pop group beat rival nominees Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

BTS and Swift were among the early winners at the American Music Awards, in a show hosted live by rapper Cardi B.

BTS was named favorite pop group, the first of three awards it was nominated for on the awards show.

“We’re just a small boy band from Korea which just united by the love of music and all we want to do is spread good vibes,” BTS singer Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM, said.

BTS joined Coldplay on stage for a rendition of their single “My Universe” in a post-pandemic return to live performances for the K-pop group, whose single “Butter” ruled the Billboard singles charts in the United States for 10 weeks this summer.

Swift, who did not attend Sunday’s ceremony, last year won the title for a record sixth time. On Sunday, she took home the trophies for favorite female artist and best pop album for her lockdown album “evermore.”

“I’m so lucky to be in your life and to get to have you in mine,” Swift told fans in a video acceptance speech.

First-time host Cardi B pulled off a series of extravagant costume changes and confessed she was worried about messing up.

“I’m a little nervous. I’m shaking,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said, sporting a head-to-toe black feather headdress.

Rodrigo, 18, who burst onto the charts in January, went into Sunday’s show with a leading seven nods including artist of the year, best new artist and favorite pop song for her debut single “drivers license.”

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd followed with six nominations, while Doja Cat, reggaeton star Bad Bunny and first-time nominee R&B singer Giveon had five each.

Doja Cat picked up three awards on Sunday, including for her “Kiss Me More” collaboration with SZA. Meanwhile, Megan Thee Stallion, who on Saturday pulled out of performing on the show citing personal issues, won for favorite female hip-hop artist.

Other artists due to perform later on Sunday include Jennifer Lopez, Latin star Bad Bunny, Italian Eurovision song contest winners Maneskin and country singer Carrie Underwood.

The nominees were based on Billboard music chart performance, streaming and album sales, radio play and social media engagement, and the winners were chosen entirely by fans.

-reuters

Drummer Charlie Watts likely to miss Rolling Stones’ tour

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will likely miss the band’s upcoming U.S. tour to allow him to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.

A spokesperson for the musician said the procedure was “completely successful” but that Watts needs time to recuperate. The Stones are set to resume their No Filter tour with a stadium show on Sept. 26 in St. Louis.

“With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming,” a spokesperson for Watts said in a statement.

Watts, 80, said in a statement he did not want his recovery to further delay the tour, which is set to visit several U.S. cities including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while,” Watts said.

Watts successfully underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2004. He will be replaced by understudy Steve Jordan, who has played with Keith Richards for years.

-Associated Press

New Amy Winehouse film to mark 10 years since singer's death

LONDON — A new documentary about Amy Winehouse, in which her mother will share details about her late daughter’s life, will be released in July, marking 10 years since the British singer’s death at age 27.

“Amy Winehouse: 10 Years On”, commissioned by Britain’s BBC Two and BBC Music, will be told through the narrative of the “Rehab” and “Back to Black” singer’s mother Janis, who has multiple sclerosis and wants to share her memories, the broadcaster said.

It described Janis as “a figure close to Amy whom we have yet to hear a lot from and whose version of events often differs from the narrative we have been told before”.

“I don’t feel the world knew the true Amy, the one that I brought up, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to offer an understanding of her roots and a deeper insight into the real Amy,” Janis Winehouse said in a statement on Wednesday.

Winehouse, a Grammy Award winner, died from alcohol poisoning at her London home in July 2011. She had struggled with drinking and drug problems through much of her career.

The documentary will feature previously unseen family archive material, the BBC said. “Janis will be aided by family, friends and those who knew Amy best to piece together the side of Amy rarely seen,” it said.

“The film will be a powerful and sensitive account of one of Britain’s best-loved and greatly-missed musical talents, offering a new female-driven interpretation of her life, her loves and her legacy.”

A 2015 documentary “AMY” about Winehouse won director Asif Kapadia an Oscar, although at the time the singer’s father Mitch Winehouse called it misleading and said the family had disassociated itself from the film.

Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Mark Heinrich

-reuters

Blackpink vocalist Rose’s solo single debuts at No. 43 on Official Charts

Rose of South Korean girl group Blackpink saw her debut solo release hit No. 43 on the Official Charts, becoming the first K-pop female soloist to chart on the British music ranking.

“On the Ground,” the Blackpink member’s new release, reached No. 43 on the latest version of the Official Singles Top 100 updated weekly.

As a group, Blackpink had landed on the British music chart a number of times, peaking at No. 20 with the 2020 megahit “How You Like That.”

Rose released her first solo material on March 12, more than four years since her debut as the main vocalist of the four-piece act.

The double-track album, featuring songs “On the Ground” and “Gone,” has got off to a stellar start, with the physical version selling 280,000 copies in its first week, a record for a K-pop female soloist.

“On the Ground” also swept iTunes Top Song charts in 51 territories and reached No. 8 on the streaming giant Spotify. Its music video has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube in roughly a week.

-The Korea Herald

K-pop stars BTS named IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year

LONDON – K-pop sensation BTS, whose catchy, upbeat songs have won legions of fans around the world, have scooped the 2020 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award from IFPI, the recorded music industry representative body said on Thursday.

The seven-member group had a hugely successful 2020, becoming the first Korean pop act to reach no.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with English-language single “Dynamite”, and securing its first major Grammy nomination.

The band, who debuted in 2013 and have fronted the K-Pop drive in the United States in recent years, were also named entertainer of the year by Time magazine.

“BTS are a global phenomenon. They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world,” IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement.

“They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.”

IFPI said the award takes account of an act’s worldwide performance in digital and physical music formats during the year.

American songstress Taylor Swift came in second in the IFPI Global Artist Chart while Canadian rapper Drake was third.

-reuters

Christopher Plummer, ‘Sound of Music’ patriarch, dead at 91

WASHINGTON—Christopher Plummer, a patrician Canadian who starred as widower Captain von Trapp opposite Julie Andrews in the blockbuster 1965 musical "The Sound Of Music" and in 2012 became the oldest actor to win an Oscar, has died at 91, his longtime friend and manager Lou Pitt said on Friday.

“Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self deprecating humor and the music of words," Pitt said. "He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come."

Plummer passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side, Deadline Hollywood said.

Plummer, an accomplished Shakespearean actor honored for his varied stage, television and film work in a career that spanned more than six decades, was best known for his role in "The Sound Of Music," which at the time eclipsed "Gone With the Wind" (1939) as the top-earning movie ever.

Plummer flourished in a succession of meaty roles after age 70 - a time in life when most actors merely fade away. He claimed a long-awaited Academy Award at age 82 for his supporting performance in "Beginners" as an elderly man who comes out of the closet as gay after his wife's death.

"You're only two years older than me, darling," Plummer, who was born in 1929, purred to his golden statuette - first given for films made in 1927 and 1928 - at the February 2012 Oscars ceremony. "Where have you been all my life?"

Plummer became the oldest actor to win a competitive Academy Award - supplanting Jessica Tandy and George Burns, who both were 80 when they won theirs.

Plummer appeared in more than 100 films and also was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 2009's "The Last Station." He won two Tony Awards for his Broadway work, two Emmy Awards for TV work and performed for some of the world's top theater companies.

But for many fans his career was defined by his performance as an stern widower in "The Sound Of Music" - a role he called "a cardboard figure, humorless and one-dimensional." In his 2008 autobiography "In Spite Of Myself," Plummer refers to the movie with the mischievous acronym "S&M."

It took him four decades to change his view of the film and embrace it as a "terrific movie" that made him proud.

Director Robert Wise's wholesome, sentimental film follows the singing von Trapp family and their 1938 escape from the Nazis. Plummer's character falls in love with Andrews, portraying a woman hired to care for his seven children. The movie won the Academy Award as best picture of 1965.

"Originally I had accepted Robert Wise's offer simply because I wanted to find out what it was like to be in a musical comedy," Plummer wrote in his book. "I had a secret plan to one day turn 'Cyrano de Bergerac' into a Broadway musical. 'S&M' would therefore be a perfect workout in preparation for such an event."

He said he had never sung before in my life - "not even in the shower" - before taking a role that included crooning the song "Edelweiss." He blamed his own "vulgar streak" for the desire to star in a big, splashy Hollywood extravaganza.

"And yes, all right, I'll admit it, I was also a pampered, arrogant, young bastard, spoiled by too many great theater roles," he wrote. "Ludicrous though it may seem, I still harbored the old-fashioned stage actor's snobbism toward moviemaking."

LATE-CAREER RENAISSANCE

Plummer's late-career renaissance began with director Michael Mann's "The Insider" (1999) in which he portrayed CBS News interviewer Mike Wallace, acting alongside Al Pacino and Russell Crowe.

That was followed by triumphs in director Ron Howard's Academy Award best picture winner "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), director Spike Lee's "Inside Man" (2006), "Up" and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (both 2009) and "Barrymore" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (both 2011).

Plummer was born in Toronto on Dec. 13, 1929, into a privileged railroad family. He was the great-grandson of Sir John Abbott, the third prime minister of Canada.

Plummer confessed to a boozy lifestyle with plenty of affairs through the 1960s. He said his third wife, British actress Elaine Taylor, forced him after their 1970 marriage to stop the carousing that consumed some of his peers and friends, such as Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.

"Yeah, I stopped," he told Britain's Telegraph newspaper in 2010. "Square son of a bitch that I was, coward that I was! No, Elaine did say, 'If you don't quit this stupid over-drinking I'm outta here.' And thank God. She did in a sense save my life."

Plummer's early films included 1965's "Inside Daisy Clover" with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, released the same year as "The Sound Of Music," "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) with Sophia Loren and Alec Guinness, and "Triple Cross" (1966).

Among his more colorful roles were as an eye-patch-wearing Klingon in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) and as an urbane jewel thief in "The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975). He said he kicked himself for turning down the Gandalf role in the popular "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

One of his last major roles was as another patriarch, in the dark-comedy "Knives Out" in 2019.

His TV roles included the 1983 mini-series "The Thorn Birds."

Plummer lived with Elaine in Connecticut. He was the father of Tony Award-winning actress Amanda Plummer. (Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Bill Trott and Nick Zieminski)

-reuters

Hall-of-Fame country DJ Bill Mack dies of COVID-19 at age 88

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Longtime country music disc jockey Bill Mack, whose “Blue” became a hit for LeAnn Rimes and won a 1996 Grammy Award for Country Music Song of the Year, died Friday at age 88, his son said.

In a Facebook message, Mack’s son Billy Mack Smith said his father died Friday of COVID-19 but had underlying health conditions.

Mack’s “Midnight Cowboy Trucking Show” overnight program on clear channel WBAP-AM in Fort Worth kept truckers entertained for decades and earned him a place in the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame.

Mack later hosted programs on satellite radio and the syndicated “Country Crossroads. He also wrote “Drinking Champagne,” a song covered by George Strait, Dean Martin and Willie Nelson.

AP

Nicki Minaj Nicki Minaj announces she’s pregnant with 1st child

NEW YORK (AP) — Nicki Minaj has a new release coming soon: her first child.

The rapper took to Instagram on Monday to announce she is pregnant, posting photos of herself with a baby bump. One caption simply read: “#Preggers.”

She also wrote on another post, “Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes.”

Minaj married Kenneth Petty last year. They first dated as teenagers and reunited in 2018.

Musically, Minaj has also had a winning year, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice. Her remix of Doja Cat’s “Say So” helped Minaj achieve her first-ever No. 1 on the Hot 100, despite releasing multiple hits throughout her career. She also reached the top spot with “Trollz,” her collaboration with 6ix9ine.

AP

Apple Music to launch its 1st radio show in Africa

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Music is launching its first radio show in Africa.

The streaming platform announced Thursday that “Africa Now Radio with Cuppy” will debut Sunday and will feature a mix of contemporary and traditional popular African sounds, including genres like Afrobeat, rap, house, kuduro and more.

Cuppy, the Nigerian-born DJ and music producer, will host the weekly one-hour show, which will be available at 9 a.m. EDT.

“The show represents a journey from West to East and North to South, but importantly a narrative of Africa then to Africa now,” Cuppy in a statement.

African music and artists have found success outside of the continent and onto the pop charts in both the U.S. and U.K. in recent years. Acts like Drake and Beyoncé have borrowed the sound for their own songs, while performers like South African DJ Black Coffee as well as Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid and Mr Eazi — all with roots in Nigeria — continue to gain attention and have become household names.

Apple Music’s announcement comes the same week Universal Music Group said it was launching Def Jam Africa, a new division of the label focused on representing hip-hop, Afrobeat and trap talent in Africa. The label said it will be based in Johannesburg and Lagos but plans to sign talent from all over the continent.

Associated Press

Madonna says she has had COVID-19

Madonna said Thursday she has recovered from the coronavirus which forced her to pull out of a string of concerts in Paris in February and March.

The "Queen of Pop" said she had tested positive for antibodies which may mean she had COVID-19 -- though at the time she said she didn't realise she had it.

"I am not currently sick," she told her 15 million followers on Instagram.

"When you test positive for anti-bodies it means you had the virus, which I clearly did as I was sick at the end of my tour in Paris over seven weeks ago along with many other artists in my show," she said.

The 61-year-old star only played a single night in Paris on February 22 before calling off the next show, citing "ongoing injuries".

She later called off two further Paris concerts -- the last in her Madame X world tour -- after French authorities banned large gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of the virus in early March.

"At the time we all thought we had a bad flu," Madonna wrote in her post.

"Thank God we are all healthy and well now."

- 'Cursed' -

The Paris dates on Madonna's tour seem to have been cursed, with her opening night concert not starting till after midnight, three and a half hours late.

Scientists are sceptical about the accuracy of many antibody tests which claim to show a person has had the virus.

Some warned that even those tests that meet the US government's informal standards may produce false positives.

The singer revealed she had the virus after sharing an article about her donating $1.1 million (one million euros) towards research to find a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Madonna was among 200 artists and scientists who signed an open letter Wednesday calling for radical change across the world rather than "a return to normal" after the coronavirus lockdowns.

Alongside Hollywood stars Cate Blanchett, Jane Fonda and Marion Cotillard and a clutch of Nobel Prize winners, she pleaded for an end to unbridled consumerism and a "radical transformation" of economies to help save the planet.

"The ongoing ecological catastrophe is a meta-crisis," the open letter said.

"Unlike a pandemic... a global ecological collapse will have immeasurable consequences," it added.

Madonna made a large donation to a fund organised by the EU to find a vaccine for COVID-19, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen revealed last week.

Agence France-Presse

Bono salutes journalists, activists, volunteers at 2019 Philippine concert

MANILA, Philippines — Irish rock band U2 has honored Red Cross volunteers, journalists and activists at the Philippine leg of their world tour, "The Joshua Tree Tour" promoted by MMI Live and held in Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

During the concert, frontman Bono asked concertgoers to include volunteers, journalists and activists in their prayers. In a Zipline press conference the other day, Bono shared that his concert was free for Red Cross volunteers and if not a singer, he would probably be a journalist.


“Red Cross is in the house tonight, volunteers. Let’s keep them in our prayers, the ones who keep us safe from physical harm,” Bono said.

“Also in our prayers, let’s keep the journalists, the truth-tellers, the activists who keep this country spiritually safe. We salute you. Truth-tellers, everyday heroes. Let’s see our lights, let’s see out stars in the middle of the sky,” he added.

Bono's statement comes on the same day it was reported that government officials and uniformed personnel were linked to at least 69 attacks and threats against journalists recorded since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, according to a report of a network of media organizations.



U2, composed of Bono, guitarist David Evans, bass Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr, was in the country for the first time since the band started in 1976.

Bono thanked Filipinos for their patience as they played the band’s greatest hits in four decades, including, “With or Without You,” “Bullet the Blue Sky,” “Desire,” “Elevation,” “Where The Streets Have No Name,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” to name a few.

“Thank you, Manila for your patience. I know it’s taken a while getting in the arena tonight. It took us four decades, but we feel very welcome. And this is for sure gonna be the best show we ever play in Manila,” Bono said.

source: philstar.com