Shawn Mendes, Lizzo, Halsey & More to Participate in ‘I’m Listening’ Mental Health Awareness Radio Special

by Shaun on September 4, 2019 at 10:58 PM
Posted In: MUSIC NEWS, SPORTS

Lizzo, Halsey, Tegan and Sara, Blink-182, Disturbed, Shawn Mendes and a number of other music and sports stars have signed on for a two-hour, commercial free radio special to raise awareness about mental health called “I’m Listening.” The Sept. 8 show will air at 7:00 a.m. local time on 235 Entercom radio stations as the kick off to National Suicide Prevention Week.

Mental health professionals and first responders will also take part in the special, which will manifest on each station’s livestream on radio.com in their respective time zones. The yearlong “I’m Listening” campaign also includes suicide prevention PSAs, on-air promos and a dedicated website with information and resources about mental health, according to a statement announcing the special. “I’m Listening” will include personal stories from the musicians, athletes and experts, including country singer Michael Ray and NFL players Solomon Thomas and Chris Hubbard.

“Mental health and suicide prevention are year-round initiatives at Entercom and we are doing our part to end the stigma by encouraging people to talk,” said Entercom chief programming officer Pat Paxton in a statement. “Like millions of others, my family has been impacted by mental health issues and the effect it has on friends and families is devastating. ‘I’m Listening’ is when our vast network of radio stations and digital platforms unite on the same day, at the same time, to ultimately save lives. If we help just one person, our time will have been well spent.”

The special will be hosted by KISW in Seattle’s BJ Shea along with Dr. Ursula Whiteside, CEO of NowMattersNow.org and will allow listeners to participate through live call-in and an interactive website. “The fact of the matter is, I do have people to talk to. But I get so sad sometimes I feel like there is nothing anyone can say,” said Lizzo. “Nobody can walk inside of your body and fix your brain — not fix it, but change your brain around to feel things differently. By participating with ‘I’m Listening’ I hope that by sharing my feelings it will help everyone understand that it’s totally normal to have the lows with the highs – and sometimes asking for help is the first step.”

The special will offer advice on discussing mental health and suicide with friends and family and what you can do to help someone you know who is struggling with depression and how to get involved in suicide prevention in your local community.

You can read more at the Source here: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8529025/im-listening-lizzo-halsey-shawn-mendes-radio-special

Mariah Carey Jokes She’s ‘Starting a Band’ With Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra

by Shaun on August 30, 2019 at 11:20 PM
Posted In: ENTERTAINMENT
(Bridget Bennett/AFP/Getty Images)
Mariah Carey poses in the press room during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2019, in Las Vegas.

Mariah Carey might be joining an all-star band — or not.

The pop icon tweeted a photo of herself alongside Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra on Thursday (Aug. 29), joking in the caption that she’s “starting a band” with the married couple.

Though a supergroup of the trio would be a very interesting experiment, Jonas has been staying plenty busy with promoting the new Jonas Brothers album, Happiness Begins.

Earlier this week, the JoBros won in the best pop category for their hit song “Sucker” at the MTV VMAs. The group is currently touring North American arenas through mid-December.

Meanwhile, Carey is gearing up for a five-night stand of her Christmas concert series All I Want for Christmas Is You at Las Vegas’ Colosseum at Caesars Palace in late November.

The superstar singer has also recorded a new theme song for the ABC Black-ish spinoff, titled Mixed-ish.

Mixed-ish is set to premiere Sept. 24 on ABC. The show focuses on the 1980s upbringing of Tracee Ellis Ross’ character, Rainbow. It stars Arica Himmel as young Rainbow, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tika Sumpter as her parents.

Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8528763/mariah-carey-jokes-shes-starting-a-band-with-nick-jonas-priyanka-chopra

White House responds to Taylor Swift’s Equality Act petition, says the bill in its ‘current form is filled with poison pills’

by Shaun on August 28, 2019 at 12:01 AM
Posted In: CURRENT NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC NEWS
WH officials respond after Taylor Swift calls them out at VMAs, pushes Equality Act petition

The White House responded to Taylor Swift after the singer championed the Equality Act at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.

“The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights,” said the statement from a White House spokesperson.

The pop superstar opened the awards show on Monday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with a performance of her new song, “Lover.” Swift was flanked by colorful dancers, then brought it back to her roots by bringing out her guitar to sing the title track of her new album “Lover.”

The words “Equality Act” were shown over the 29-year-old pop star’s performance, a reference to her support of the Equality Act legislation that would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

After winning the top prize, Video of the Year, Swift and a number of cast members from the video appeared onstage to accept the honor.

“Regardless of who we are, regardless of how we identify, at the end of this video there was a petition — and there still is a petition for the Equality Act, which basically just says we all deserve equal rights under the law,” she said during her acceptance speech. She was referring to a Change.org petition she launched in June and which had garnered more than 500,000 signatures by Tuesday.

“And, I want to thank everyone who signed that petition because it now has half-a-million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House,” added Swift while accepting the award. She then looked down at her wrist and tapped on it, seemingly referencing a watch.

However, the White House is only required to respond to petitions filed on its petition website if a petition reaches 100,000 signatures within 30 days.

The video for “You Need to Calm Down” —  which also won the video for good honor — finishes with the words: “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.” Before the video’s release, Swift announced that she supported the Equality Act.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/white-house-taylor-swift-equality-act-vmas

Orlando Bloom Opens Up About Engagement to Katy Perry, Says He Doesn’t Want to Get Divorced ‘Again’

by Shaun on August 23, 2019 at 10:46 PM
Posted In: ENTERTAINMENT
(Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the LA Premiere of Amazon’s “Carnival Row” at TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug. 21, 2019 in Hollywood, Calif.

In a recent interview on Sunday Today With Willie Geist, Orlando Bloom opened up about his engagement to Katy Perry, saying he’s hoping to avoid the fate of his last marriage to model Miranda Kerr, with whom he has an 8-year-old son.

“It’s important to me that we are aligned — I’ve been married and divorced and I don’t want to do it again,” Bloom said. “And we’re both fully aware of that. She’s remarkable and so I’m always so impressed with that and I’m encouraged.”

The two got engaged on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. Bloom’s proposal was very extravagant, including an intimate dinner before hopping on a helicopter to pop the question, and Bloom explained that he took the over-the-top route partially so the two could have some privacy, but also because Perry loves “big moments.”

“I’m still trying to get her to wrestle into the small moments … The cool thing about what we’re doing — we’re learning to do the small together. I think we’re both fully aware that it’s a mountain to climb and that that mountain won’t stop, in terms of a relationship, because I think that’s what it is. And I love to evolve and fortunately, she does too.”

You can watch a clip at the Source below: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8528220/orlando-bloom-interview-katy-perry-engagement

Charlie Puth Announces New Song ‘I Warned Myself’

by Shaun on August 20, 2019 at 11:50 PM
Posted In: MUSIC NEWS
(Courtesy of Atlantic Records)
Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth took to social media Monday (Aug. 19) to announce his latest release, a song called “I Warned Myself,” set to arrive on Wednesday (Aug. 21). A countdown for the accompanying video will begin at 8 a.m. PST on YouTube that same day. 

Last week, Puth also shared that he is “putting out three songs.” “I Warned Myself” is the first in the set. 

Puth also shared the song’s artwork in his announcement, a black-and-white close-up shot of his face. The “Attention” singer has been promoting the countdown heavily and also shared some behind-the-scenes footage with producer Benny Blanco on his Instagram story.

“I Warned Myself” is Puth’s first new release since his 2018 album Voicenotes. The singer-songwriter recently hopped on a remix of 5 Second of Summer‘s “Easier,” which he co-wrote.

Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8527736/charlie-puth-announces-new-song-i-warned-myself

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