Music
Ryan Seacrest, Ciara, Lucy Hale and More Stars to Headline Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. 2019 is quickly approaching, which means it's time to get started on planning those New Year's Eve festivities. E! News can exclusively report that Ryan Seacrest will host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve for the thirteenth time. Seacrest will be joined alongside Jenny McCarthy at Time's Square in New York City with the iconic "ball drop" at the stroke of midnight. As Seacrest and McCarthy prepare for 2019 in New York, Ciara will be hosting the West Coast party in Hollywood. She'll be joined by some huge names in music that will undoubtedly help the new year start off on a lively note. Foster the People, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai and Charlie Puth will be rocking the house in Hollywood. The festivities will also feature a performance by Macklemore with Skylar Grey presented by Planet Fitness, and a special collaboration from The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini. Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve isn't just confined to each of the coasts, either. Pretty Little Liars star Lucy will be reporting in from New Orleans, where she and other viewers will wait for the fleur-de-lis to drop at the famous Jackson Square. New Year's Rockin' Eve begins at 8 p.m. EST on Monday, December 31 on ABC. "For 47 years, New Year's Rockin' Eve has been America's biggest and most watched party of the year," Executive Producer and Vice President of Programming and Development of Dick Clark productions Mark Bracco said in a statement. "We're thrilled that Ryan, Jenny, Ciara and Lucy are back to help America usher in the New Year, along with a stellar lineup of the year's hottest musical artists." 2019 marks the 47th year for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and will span five-and-a-half hours into the new year. Happy almost 2019! (Eonline)
The Weeknd's show ends early after fans storm arena gates. A sold-out show by The Weeknd in Abu Dhabi ended early when fans stormed the arena's gates. A source told Page Six of the scene at the Du Arena, where the singer headlined a gig as part of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "The show had to stop early because it was so dangerous. Fans were going insane outside breaking down barricades and storming toward the stage." Arabian Business reported, "Scenes of chaos unfolded as the concert began with hundreds of fans still cordoned off outside the gates." The concert's promoters said: "Due to a large number of fans arriving simultaneously to The Weeknd concert, the gates were closed as a safety measure." (PageSix)
Actual Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls is in Ariana's 'Thank U, Next' music video and we can't handle it. Yaaaas. Ariana Grande surprised the world by casually dropping a new single, Thank U Next, earlier this month. The tune details the trials and tribulations of her love life and quite frankly, we haven't stopped singing it. And since dropping the single, Ariana has been sharing hints about what the music video will entail and plot spoiler: it looks epic. First, Ariana coyly posted this Instagram photo with Legally Blonde's Jennifer Coolidge of 'bend and snap' fame with the caption: "my new best friend. Thank u, next'. As well as this snap of her on a treadmill studying with an old school laptop a la Elle Woods tagged at Harvard University alongside Elle's iconic quote: 'whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed'... She can't catch a break. It also seems that Mean Girls and 30 Going on 30 will influence her music video after Ari posted Insta stories looking uncannily similar to Jennifer Garner in the hit movie and fellow star, Elizabeth Gillies, posted this Mean Girls reference... Then Ariana shared a snap with the actual Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett) who played Regina and Cady's love interest in the hit movie. Jonathan shared a photo with Ariana, too, which completely confirmed the news for us... OHEMGEE... Her Instagram post comes after she dropped the song just before Saturday Night Live aired, which stars her ex-fiance, Pete Davidson, and some questioned whether this was a direct message to him. However, Ariana's mum, Joan Grande, tweeted to confirm the opposite is true, calling Thank U Next, "far from a diss track." However, in the song, Grande shouts out to Pete Davidson directly by name. The singer also pays homage to her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, who tragically took his life in September. In the first verse, Ariana sings: "Now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married / And for Pete, I'm so thankful / Wish I could say, 'Thank you' to Malcolm / 'Cause he was an angel." Eeek. The song comes after Pete Davidson mocked his relationship with Ariana in a promotional video for SNL, joking alongside Jonah Hill and Maggie Roger by saying, "Hey Maggie, I'm Pete. You wanna get married?" After Maggie turned down the proposal, he replied with,"0 for three." Ouch. Now, Pete has given a response to the track and it's super sweet. According to TMZ, the comedian 'ad-libbed' a statement on SNL's Weekend Update after hearing the tune. Apparently, he heard the song before he filmed the show and discussed their break-up on air, saying it's 'nobody's business' and hailed his ex a 'wonderful person'. We can't wait to watch it. In the track, Ariana references other exes, Big Sean and Ricky Alvarez, with "Thought I'd end up with Sean / But he wasn't a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh." However, confirming there is no bitterness between her and her former flames, Ariana tweeted a fan stating that, "They heard it before it came out." Ariana went on to tweet, "no drags... no shade... just love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness... and growth." The singer wraps up the song by alluding to how much she has discovered about herself through her mentioned relationships, saying, "Her name is Ari / And I'm so good with that." You. Go. Ariana! (British Glamour)
Lauren Jauregui Teases She's Working on 'Something Insane RN With Some Insanely Talented Women'. We already knew former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui was cooking up some new music, but on Sunday (Nov. 25) the singer teased what sounds like a very exciting collaboration. "Editing something insane rn with some insanely talented women and I am constantly in awe of how much I love making art with women," she wrote, without revealing too much about what the project at hand might be. Jauregui recently released her debut solo single "Expectations," and debuted two new songs at MTV's +1 The Vote midterm election after party when she performed the uptempo "More Than That" and the sultry "Freedom." (Billboard)
Florence + the Machine Prepping 'High As Hope' Deluxe Box Set. Florence + the Machine announced Sunday (Nov. 25) that they are dropping a deluxe box set version of their fourth studio album, High As Hope. The new set includes fresh cover art, two petal-covered 12" picture discs, 22 tarot cards and a 64-page book with exclusive behind-the-scenes photos. The first record contains the entirety of the original High As Hope record while the second one features acoustic versions of the indie rock band's "Hunger," "South London Forever" and "Patricia." High As Hope originally dropped in June, boasting minimalist sounds and raw lyrics. The box set drops on Dec. 21 and costs $125 on Florence + the Machine's website. (Billboard)
Kid Rock Won't Be Charged With Campaign Finance Violations After Stunt Senate Run. Kid Rock's fake Senate campaign will not earn him real fines from the Federal Election Commission. You might recall that the Bullgod spent a good portion of last year making it seem like he was taking on Democrat Debbie Stabenow for a Senate seat in Michigan. Rock went so far as to create merch for the phony campaign and give what sounded like stump speeches at several shows before finally admitting, "fuck no I'm not running for Senate" on the Howard Stern satellite radio show. Rock (born Robert Ritchie), revealed the obvious during that Oct. 24 interview: the jokey bid for office was an attempt to promote his 11th studio album, Sweet Southern Sugar. According to the Detroit Free Press, the FEC has declined to charge Rock with federal campaign violations following the "Kid Rock For US Senate" promotional push. The 3-1 decision last week involved the FEC dismissing a complaint from the Common Cause watchdog group, which argued that the rapper fudged candidate registration and financial reporting rules. The FEC sided with Rock, saying the phony run was clearly "an artistic and commercial undertaking" tied to the album's release and ensuing tour and that Ritchie was never a legitimate candidate; the FEC also cleared Rock's label, Warner Bros., of violating campaign finance law by helping to sell "Kid Rock for US Senate" merch. Rock grabbed headlines across the country last summer when he rolled out a merch store for the fake run and made a series of speeches during shows. The FEC decision notes that, in a notarized affidavit filed with his response to the FEC investigation, Rock said under oath that his run for office was a "concert promotion" and that he hadn't taken "even the most basic steps to become a candidate," never establishing a campaign committee, seeking ballot access, hiring campaign staff or open a campaign office, signed up to participate in a debate or solicited contributions. "It might be one of the dumber things I've ever done, but it was a fuckin' riot," Rock told Billboard in November 2017. "Man, some of the shit that went on was unbelievable. It started to become real, which got a little scary; I mean I just don't understand who looks at Kid Rock and goes, 'Yeah, I see a senator there...' But it was still a lot of fun in a lot of ways." Rock said his "campaign" was inspired by media reaction to a Michigan state legislator's public suggestion that he run for Republican nomination for one of the state's senate seats in 2018. "The press started having their little laugh with it, like they always do," Rock recalled. "This time I thought, 'Y'know, I'm gonna fuck with them a little bit.' We said, 'Alright, we're gonna run with this,' and of course I'm not running for Senate. We were leading everybody on." That included social media pronouncements, campaign merchandise and faux speeches during his concerts. "Man, we had a blast. Every time we'd do something, just watching the press losing their shit over it was hilarious. There were times we couldn't stop laughing." The FEC ruling notes that Rock and his manager said the "Kid Rock for US Senate" slogan expressed the idea that "middle America should not lose faith in our country and ourselves" and that it provides concertgoers with a "patriotic experience." Rock later donated about $122,000 from sales of merchandise to the CRNC Action voter-registration organization, an affiliate of the College Republican National Committee. A spokesperson for Rock could not be reached for comment at press time. (Billboard)
The Weeknd's show ends early after fans storm arena gates. A sold-out show by The Weeknd in Abu Dhabi ended early when fans stormed the arena's gates. A source told Page Six of the scene at the Du Arena, where the singer headlined a gig as part of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "The show had to stop early because it was so dangerous. Fans were going insane outside breaking down barricades and storming toward the stage." Arabian Business reported, "Scenes of chaos unfolded as the concert began with hundreds of fans still cordoned off outside the gates." The concert's promoters said: "Due to a large number of fans arriving simultaneously to The Weeknd concert, the gates were closed as a safety measure." (PageSix)
Actual Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls is in Ariana's 'Thank U, Next' music video and we can't handle it. Yaaaas. Ariana Grande surprised the world by casually dropping a new single, Thank U Next, earlier this month. The tune details the trials and tribulations of her love life and quite frankly, we haven't stopped singing it. And since dropping the single, Ariana has been sharing hints about what the music video will entail and plot spoiler: it looks epic. First, Ariana coyly posted this Instagram photo with Legally Blonde's Jennifer Coolidge of 'bend and snap' fame with the caption: "my new best friend. Thank u, next'. As well as this snap of her on a treadmill studying with an old school laptop a la Elle Woods tagged at Harvard University alongside Elle's iconic quote: 'whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed'... She can't catch a break. It also seems that Mean Girls and 30 Going on 30 will influence her music video after Ari posted Insta stories looking uncannily similar to Jennifer Garner in the hit movie and fellow star, Elizabeth Gillies, posted this Mean Girls reference... Then Ariana shared a snap with the actual Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett) who played Regina and Cady's love interest in the hit movie. Jonathan shared a photo with Ariana, too, which completely confirmed the news for us... OHEMGEE... Her Instagram post comes after she dropped the song just before Saturday Night Live aired, which stars her ex-fiance, Pete Davidson, and some questioned whether this was a direct message to him. However, Ariana's mum, Joan Grande, tweeted to confirm the opposite is true, calling Thank U Next, "far from a diss track." However, in the song, Grande shouts out to Pete Davidson directly by name. The singer also pays homage to her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, who tragically took his life in September. In the first verse, Ariana sings: "Now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married / And for Pete, I'm so thankful / Wish I could say, 'Thank you' to Malcolm / 'Cause he was an angel." Eeek. The song comes after Pete Davidson mocked his relationship with Ariana in a promotional video for SNL, joking alongside Jonah Hill and Maggie Roger by saying, "Hey Maggie, I'm Pete. You wanna get married?" After Maggie turned down the proposal, he replied with,"0 for three." Ouch. Now, Pete has given a response to the track and it's super sweet. According to TMZ, the comedian 'ad-libbed' a statement on SNL's Weekend Update after hearing the tune. Apparently, he heard the song before he filmed the show and discussed their break-up on air, saying it's 'nobody's business' and hailed his ex a 'wonderful person'. We can't wait to watch it. In the track, Ariana references other exes, Big Sean and Ricky Alvarez, with "Thought I'd end up with Sean / But he wasn't a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh." However, confirming there is no bitterness between her and her former flames, Ariana tweeted a fan stating that, "They heard it before it came out." Ariana went on to tweet, "no drags... no shade... just love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness... and growth." The singer wraps up the song by alluding to how much she has discovered about herself through her mentioned relationships, saying, "Her name is Ari / And I'm so good with that." You. Go. Ariana! (British Glamour)
Lauren Jauregui Teases She's Working on 'Something Insane RN With Some Insanely Talented Women'. We already knew former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui was cooking up some new music, but on Sunday (Nov. 25) the singer teased what sounds like a very exciting collaboration. "Editing something insane rn with some insanely talented women and I am constantly in awe of how much I love making art with women," she wrote, without revealing too much about what the project at hand might be. Jauregui recently released her debut solo single "Expectations," and debuted two new songs at MTV's +1 The Vote midterm election after party when she performed the uptempo "More Than That" and the sultry "Freedom." (Billboard)
Florence + the Machine Prepping 'High As Hope' Deluxe Box Set. Florence + the Machine announced Sunday (Nov. 25) that they are dropping a deluxe box set version of their fourth studio album, High As Hope. The new set includes fresh cover art, two petal-covered 12" picture discs, 22 tarot cards and a 64-page book with exclusive behind-the-scenes photos. The first record contains the entirety of the original High As Hope record while the second one features acoustic versions of the indie rock band's "Hunger," "South London Forever" and "Patricia." High As Hope originally dropped in June, boasting minimalist sounds and raw lyrics. The box set drops on Dec. 21 and costs $125 on Florence + the Machine's website. (Billboard)
Kid Rock Won't Be Charged With Campaign Finance Violations After Stunt Senate Run. Kid Rock's fake Senate campaign will not earn him real fines from the Federal Election Commission. You might recall that the Bullgod spent a good portion of last year making it seem like he was taking on Democrat Debbie Stabenow for a Senate seat in Michigan. Rock went so far as to create merch for the phony campaign and give what sounded like stump speeches at several shows before finally admitting, "fuck no I'm not running for Senate" on the Howard Stern satellite radio show. Rock (born Robert Ritchie), revealed the obvious during that Oct. 24 interview: the jokey bid for office was an attempt to promote his 11th studio album, Sweet Southern Sugar. According to the Detroit Free Press, the FEC has declined to charge Rock with federal campaign violations following the "Kid Rock For US Senate" promotional push. The 3-1 decision last week involved the FEC dismissing a complaint from the Common Cause watchdog group, which argued that the rapper fudged candidate registration and financial reporting rules. The FEC sided with Rock, saying the phony run was clearly "an artistic and commercial undertaking" tied to the album's release and ensuing tour and that Ritchie was never a legitimate candidate; the FEC also cleared Rock's label, Warner Bros., of violating campaign finance law by helping to sell "Kid Rock for US Senate" merch. Rock grabbed headlines across the country last summer when he rolled out a merch store for the fake run and made a series of speeches during shows. The FEC decision notes that, in a notarized affidavit filed with his response to the FEC investigation, Rock said under oath that his run for office was a "concert promotion" and that he hadn't taken "even the most basic steps to become a candidate," never establishing a campaign committee, seeking ballot access, hiring campaign staff or open a campaign office, signed up to participate in a debate or solicited contributions. "It might be one of the dumber things I've ever done, but it was a fuckin' riot," Rock told Billboard in November 2017. "Man, some of the shit that went on was unbelievable. It started to become real, which got a little scary; I mean I just don't understand who looks at Kid Rock and goes, 'Yeah, I see a senator there...' But it was still a lot of fun in a lot of ways." Rock said his "campaign" was inspired by media reaction to a Michigan state legislator's public suggestion that he run for Republican nomination for one of the state's senate seats in 2018. "The press started having their little laugh with it, like they always do," Rock recalled. "This time I thought, 'Y'know, I'm gonna fuck with them a little bit.' We said, 'Alright, we're gonna run with this,' and of course I'm not running for Senate. We were leading everybody on." That included social media pronouncements, campaign merchandise and faux speeches during his concerts. "Man, we had a blast. Every time we'd do something, just watching the press losing their shit over it was hilarious. There were times we couldn't stop laughing." The FEC ruling notes that Rock and his manager said the "Kid Rock for US Senate" slogan expressed the idea that "middle America should not lose faith in our country and ourselves" and that it provides concertgoers with a "patriotic experience." Rock later donated about $122,000 from sales of merchandise to the CRNC Action voter-registration organization, an affiliate of the College Republican National Committee. A spokesperson for Rock could not be reached for comment at press time. (Billboard)
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