Pop Music

The Daily Beast reports: Nicki Minaj sicced her fans, the Barbz, on reporters Friday and threatened them herself. The rapper posted the phone numbers of two reporters to her Instagram Story, inviting spam calls and threats. The journalists had been trying to contact her cousin’s friend with the swollen balls, the man she cited in now-infamous tweets as one of …

The BBC reports: Pop legends Abba have surprised and delighted fans by announcing their first studio album for 40 years. Abba Voyage will be released in November, before a “revolutionary” set of concerts where virtual avatars will play hits like Mamma Mia and Waterloo. The quartet, who split up in 1982, said they ended up back in the recording studio …

The Daily Beast reports: Kid Rock cancelled two shows in Fort Worth, Texas and he’s not happy about it. “I am pissed. Over half the band has fucking COVID.” the singer tweeted Thursday, clarifying that he hasn’t gotten the virus. “And before u [sic] shit for brains bloggers and media trolls run your mouths, many of them, like me, have …

Yahoo News reports: Vehement anti-vax rocker Eric Clapton has just dropped a musical rant against pandemic restrictions and vaccines. The animated music video for the legendary guitarist’s apparent anti-vax anthem “This Has Gotta Stop” features an evil puppeteer and protesters brandishing signs reading “Liberty” and “Stop.” (Check it out in the video up top.) It also includes an illustration of …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Spencer Elden, the man whose unusual baby portrait was used for one of the most recognizable album covers of all time, Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the nude image constituted child pornography. The album cover depicts Elden underwater in a swimming pool as a then-infant with his genitalia exposed. The image has generally been …

British tabloid The Mirror reports: The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. The sad news comes weeks after Watts pulled out of the band’s No Filter tour. A spokesperson for Charlie confirmed his absence from the US shows earlier this month, revealing that the rocker needed to ‘rest and recuperate’ following a medical procedure. …

ABC News reports: This time, Barry Manilow didn’t make it through the rain. Unlike the Grammy-winning recording artist’s 1980 hit, “I Made It Through Rain,” the superstar-laden “Homecoming Concert” in New York City’s Central Park was canceled because of dangerous weather as Hurricane Henri approached the Northeast on Saturday. Manilow began performing “Can’t Smile Without You,” as part of a …

CNN reports: Some of music’s biggest names will descend on the Great Lawn at New York City’s iconic Central Park for the “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” on Saturday to perform for a vaccinated crowd of 60,000. The event, which is being aired exclusively on CNN, is produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis in coordination with the city …

Variety reports: Country superstar Garth Brooks, one of the few reliable stadium-fillers in the business, has canceled his remaining shows for 2021. The performer said refunds will be offered on the approximately 350,000 tickets that were sold for stadium gigs in five cities. Brooks had previously indicated that he was rethinking upcoming dates, in light of spiking COVID rates. He’d …

Spin Magazine reports: Brian May considers Eric Clapton one of his “heroes,” but that doesn’t mean he’s okay with anti-vaxxers. During an interview with The Independent, the Queen guitarist labelled anti-vax rock stars “fruitcakes,” including Clapton, Verve’s Richard Ashcroft and Stone Roses’ Ian Brown, who all have said they won’t play shows that require “COVID passports” to gain admission. Last …

The New York Times reports: LL Cool J, Elvis Costello, Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana and the New York Philharmonic will join Bruce Springsteen and other artists next month at the starry Central Park concert that the city is planning to herald its comeback from the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The mayor said that concertgoers would need to …

The Daily Dot reports: One of the most famous guitarists of the past half-century has been making headlines lately, but not because of his recently announced North American tour. Instead, 76-year-old Eric Clapton has become a vocal opponent of the COVID-19 vaccine after receiving one himself. He alleges that the drug is responsible for “disastrous” side effects that caused numbness …

“When you talk about country music, and I know the left is all out now and trying to change country music and make it woke. When I’m talking to my friends who are musicians, I say, ‘If we have a socialistic government—if we have Marxism—you are going to be the first ones who will be cut off because the state …

TMZ reports: Lil Nas X triggered a wave of online criticism for kissing a male dancer during the BET Awards, but over at the FCC … it was basically crickets. Sooo, sign of progress? TMZ’s obtained the complaints filed to the Federal Communications Commission and there were merely 3 of them made in after Lil Nas’ much-talked about performance of …

The Verge reports: A confrontation Tuesday between a police sergeant and member of the public didn’t start out unusually. James Burch, policy director of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP), was standing outside the Alameda Courthouse in Oakland, California when an officer approached him and asked him to move a banner. As the two argued, the sergeant noticed he was being …

The New York Daily News reports: The Boss is coming home to Central Park to boost NYC’s comeback from COVID. Rocker Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and soulful superstar Jennifer Hudson will headline a Central Park concert in August to celebrate NYC’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor de Blasio called the “homecoming concert” a can’t-miss-event that will go down in …

The Verge reports: Hyundai has officially completed its acquisition of Boston Dynamics, the creator of the internet’s favorite dancing Spot and Atlas robots (which only occasionally look like dystopian nightmare machines). And to celebrate, the company is collaborating with K-pop sensation BTS on a new video that shows seven Spot robots grooving to the band’s 2020 song “IONIQ: I’m On …

Yahoo Music reports: When Madonna shared a same-sex smooch with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, it was a sensation, but when openly gay pop singer Adam Lambert enjoyed a similar moment with a male band member at the 2009 American Music Awards, it caused a backlash that nearly derailed his career. Societal progress …

The BBC reports: Sir Ringo Starr has dropped his legal case against the makers of a sex toy called a Ring O. The Beatles drummer challenged the Ring O trademark, saying it’s too similar to his name and might cause confusion. Sir Ringo, 80, had argued that his reputation would be damaged if the Ring O name was registered as …

Variety reports: Anti-vaccine protesters congregated outside of Foo Fighters’ show at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, Calif. on Tuesday night (June 15). What looked like several dozen protesters carried signs reading “Foo Fighters fight to bring segregation back” and “event for vaccinated only, unvaccinated not allowed,” according to several Twitter posts. One Instagram post appeared to picture former child …