Kool & the Gang, one of the world’s greatest living groove-based bands, have been playing more than 100 shows a year for longer than Robert “Kool” Bell cares to remember. He was already adjusting to the unfamiliar sensation of a long stint at home in 2020 when tragedy struck — …
Read More »Gabby Giffords Knows What Political Violence Can Do
It’s freezing in Tucson — well, freezing for Tucson: 67 degrees, dipping just below 40 at night — but there is snow on Mount Lemmon, just north of the city. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords piled on four jackets when she went for a bike ride this morning. She’s got a …
Read More »Norman Jewison: Why Sidney Poitier Was Perfect for 'In the Heat of the Night'
When Norman Jewison came across an early draft of the script for In the Heat of the Night, the then-39-year-old Canadian director recognized that this adaptation of John Ball’s novel — about a Black cop caught in the middle of a murder mystery in the Deep South — had the …
Read More »They Helped Save Democracy — and Are Being Tormented for It
Adrian Fontes never thought he would need to draw on his training as a Marine in his job as a top election officer for Maricopa County, Arizona. Yet there he was in late 2020, meeting with members of the sheriff’s department and other law-enforcement agencies about establishing a secure perimeter …
Read More »The Weeknd Teases New Music, 'Dawn FM' Track List in New Trailer
UPDATE (1/5): The Weeknd has continued to trickle out more information about his impending new album, Dawn FM, this time sharing the full track list for the album. The list appeared at the end of a short teaser video that also included some new music. And while the clip didn’t …
Read More »Radiohead Side Project the Smile Drop 'You Will Never Work in Television Again' While Announcing Shows on Television
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood‘s new side project the Smile have released their raging debut single “You Will Never Work in Television Again.” The band — which includes drummer Tom Skinner and longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich — open the track with dystopian wails, before kicking off with a …
Read More »Rand Paul Comes Out as Pro-Omicron
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has failed to follow the science for much of the pandemic, on Wednesday called Omicron, the Covid-19 variant responsible for record-setting number of positive cases, “nature’s vaccine” during an interview with Fox & Friends. “We’ve got 150 million people in our country that have already …
Read More »MAGA Diehards Melt Down Over Trump's Pro-Vax Push
In the crisscrossed, Q-addled conspiracy world where Donald Trump is held up as America’s great savior, and covid-19 vaccines are denounced as part of a poisonous plot to control the world, the former president’s own vaccination status — Trump privately got jabbed before departing the White House — has been …
Read More »'Stop the Steal' Founder Spilled to Jan. 6 Committee About Contact With Republican Lawmakers
Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) all interacted with Ali Alexander, the founder of the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement, in the lead up to Jan. 6, Alexander’s attorney said in a suit filed late Friday. Alexander shared this information with the House select committee …
Read More »A Loose Salute to Michael Nesmith, the Coolest Monkee of Them All
Good night, Papa Nez. The music world is mourning today for the late, great Michael Nesmith, and celebrating his long, weird, beautiful life. He died today at 78, just weeks after the Monkees’ final show on Nov. 14. He was the coolest Monkee, the rock star of the band, the …
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