#WhatsHappening for January 31, 2108

Hey, hi, howdy boys and girls- happy Hump Day. Hope your week is going well.

The Electric Daisy Carnival is expanding to Asia.

Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella said in a press release today that "(bringing) EDC halfway around the world is a milestone for our entire Insomniac family. China marks EDC’s sixth international location, and I’m excited to connect and create beautiful new moments with the country’s passionate and ever-growing dance music community."

Tickets for the April 29-30 show go on sale Sunday at 11 a.m. The lineup has not yet been announced.

Fox has asked that the $240 million lawsuit filed against them by American Idol's former creditors, telling the judge in the case that the lenders are seeking to blame others for their high risk loans that didn't pan out.

The suit was filed in 2016 by the trustee of former Idol producer Core Media Group, which declared bankruptcy after the show was cancelled, and was then taken over by financial firms that had once extended $360 million in loans. 

An attorney for Fox says the case "presents the paradigm for lenders seeking to blame others because they made high risk loans that did not pan out. Companies that produce television shows are inherently high risk ventures because producing a show is expensive, anticipating consumer demand is challenging, and the television audience is fickle. Even if a producer correctly guesses what will be popular with viewers right now, a show that is a huge hit one year can be off the air the next."

Journey's Johnathan Cain has a memoir coming out, and I'm determined not to read it, since he titled it Don't Stop Believin'. 

The tour manager for Mexican singer Gerardo Ortiz, Joel Camarena, and Regulo Caro tour manager Armando  Baneulous were detained in Dallas last week after TSA agents discovered stacks of cash inside their carry-on bags.

The Dallas News and Star-Telegram newspapers report that more than $100,000 was discovered in Camarena's bag and almost $50,000 in Banuelos' after drug-sniffing dogs had detected the scent of narcotics and the bags were searched.

Camarena is still in custody and appeared before a a federal judge yesterday on charges of conspiracy to evade federal reporting requirements. Police became suspicious after the Camarena changed his story about the money after learning the drug-sniffing dogs had led to the search. Banuelos was not arrested, and said that he was carrying the money in his bag for Camarena. Authorities said that over $115,000 of the money was not properly accounted for on federal reporting forms.

Birthdays today include: Justin Timberlake (36); Jason Cooper of The Cure (51); Alan Jaworski of Jesus Jones (52); John Lydon of Sex Pistols (62); Harry Wayne Casey of KC & The Sunshine Band (67); Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music (67); and Terry Kath of Chicago (72). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for January 29, 2018

Hey kids- hope you're having a fantastic weekend. It's sort of dreary here at the karaoke compound. I'd take a nap, but then I'd wake up at 10 or something, wondering where the hell I was and not able to get back to sleep. Guess I'll tackle some more chores after we catch up a bit.

Oh yeah- the Grammys are going on tonight. You'd think I'd know that, since my day job actually did some work related to the show for one of our accounts. Nope. I'm clueless.

Speaking of Clueless, it was on yesterday on one of the movie channels. Alicia Silverstone is just fantastic in that movie. And gorgeous. The movie's held up well despite the 90s lingo. (And yes, I'm ignoring the present-day, preachy vegan Ms. Silverstone.)

Because our government isn't enough like a goddamned circus, now we have to have a Twitter war between the president and a rapper.

Wow- someone suggested the Grammys move to Atlanta. Yet another reason to be glad I don't live at Five Points anymore. The Peach Drop in the front yard was clusterfuck enough for traffic and getting to my house, I can't imagine the fuckery that would accompany a bunch of self-important, self-congratulating asshats descending on downtown.

Nelly filed court papers Friday seeking to have an amended complaint in the rape case against him dismissed.

The rapper claims that the encounter on the tour bus after his Seattle show last year was consensual and that the woman became upset only when another person entered the bedroom to use the bathroom, while his attorney told the Associated Press that woman's claims were "completely fabricated" and part of a "money grab."

The case is being pursued via civil courts after the victim refused to cooperate with police because, as the amended complaint alleges, her name became public after she contacted authorities and "she felt that she could not stand up against a celebrity and the criminal justice system would fail her."

Grammy nominee Lisa Loeb has evidently discovered the fountain of youth.

Congratulations are in order for Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo.

An Aretha Franklin biopic is on the way, and Jennifer Hudson has been hand-picked by the Queen of Soul to play her on screen.

The announcement was last night a by producer Clive Davis at a pre-Grammys party, with Davis introducing Hudson ahead of her performance their- telling the audience that she'd be playing the legendary singer in the forthcoming film.

Hudson performed two of Franklin's best-known hits, Think and Respect. 

No further details on the film were announced.

Birthdays today include: Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys (37); Joey Fatone of N*SYNC (41); Tweety of Next (41); Sarah McLachlan (50); DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill (50); Rakim (50); Peter Schilling (62); original Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson (67); and original Stones' bassist Dick Taylor (75). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 25, 2108

Hey, hi, howdy homies. Hope you're all sailing smoothly through the week.

Don't forget to join us this week at the Iron Horse for another edition of Saturday Night Karaoke. We're there to spread the joy from 10pm to 1am.

South African jazz giant Hugh Masekela died this week after battling cancer for nearly a decade.

Masekela began playing the trumpet at 14 and became an integral part of the 1950s jazz scene in Johannesburg as a member of the Jazz Epistles.

He left the country in the 1960s, going into exile in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he collaborated with Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Herb Alpert, and others- and used his music to spread awareness about the apartheid in his homeland.

Masekela was 78.

Original Smashing Pumpkins bassist D’arcy Wretzky says she was't invited to take part in an the band's upcoming reunion tour.

"My apologies to all of the Smashing Pumpkins fans out there who are excited about this oncoming reunion tour of the original members of the band," Wretzky said via text to Blast Echo  she said. "I know this is a huge disappointment for me, as well, but it’s not going to happen [with me]. I only just found about yesterday that the band has decided to go with a different bass player."

That paragon of pretentious, Billy Corgan, did not respond to media requests for a comment.

Hot on the heels of Neil Diamond's announcement that his touring days were over, Sir Elton John has added his name to the ranks of rockers saying goodbye.

In a press conference yesterday, John told host Anderson Cooper and a live-streamed audience that his upcoming tour will be his last. The shows, which kick off September 8 in Allentown, PA, will part of an announced 300 date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

"Ten years ago, if you had said I’m going to stop touring, I would have said, 'No, no, I’m a working musician. I always play.' But we had children, and that changed our lives," John told Cooper. "And in 2015, David (John's husband) and I sat down with a school schedule, and I thought, 'I don’t want to miss too much of this.' I’ve had an amazing life, I’ve had an amazing career, I’ve been so incredibly lucky, and, just, my life has changed. My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family."

John added it "was not hard decision because I really do love my kids so much. … You can FaceTime all you want, but it’s not exactly like being there with them. They need me, they need David, they need parents, and I want to be there."

John did say he would still record at least "a couple more albums" and that he would "be creative, hopefully, up until the day I die."

Birthdays today include: Alicia Keys (37); Gary Tibbs of Roxy Music (60); Andy Cox of Fine Young Cannibals (62); Richard Finch of KC & The Sunshine Band (64);  Malcolm Green of Split Enz (65); Michael Cotton of The Tubes (68); and Dave Walker (73). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for January 23, 2018

Hey kids- happy Tuesday.

Neil Diamond announced yesterday that he was retiring from touring due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. 

"It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring," Diamond said in a statement released on his website. "I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years. My sincerest apologies to everyone who purchased tickets and were planning to come to the upcoming shows.

"I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.

"My thanks go out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you."

Based on doctors’ advice, the third leg of Diamond’s 50th Anniversary tour, scheduled for Australia and New Zealand in March, has been cancelled.

90s country star Lari White died today after a brief battle with cancer. 
The 52 year old began performing in her family’s Gospel band as a child and went on to study vocals and music engineering at the University of Miami. She first made waves in country music circles on the Jim Ed Brown-hosted You Can Be A Star show on The Nashville Network- winning the competition and a recording contract with Capitol Nashville.
White was diagnosed with advanced peritoneal cancer in November and her mother said White was admitted to Hospice care last Friday.

So, I was looking through the list of Oscar nominees, and I've seen all of four of the nominees (I'll let you guess what they are). From all of categories. And I'm only interested in seeing maybe five of the others.

Birthdays today include: Earl Falconer of UB40 (59); Reggie Calloway of Calloway (63); Robin Zander of Cheap Trick (65); Patrick Simmons of Doobie Brothers (68); Anita Pointer of Pointer Sisters (70); and Millie Jackson (74). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 21, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy kids. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

I godda say, I was thinking of calling in the reserves last night, as I still can't shake this fucking crud- but I'm glad I didn't. We had a good, enthusiastic crowd and the energy you guys generated help me get through the night. Come back and see us next week (well, except for the person who got pissy because they actually had to wait in line to sing- just like everyone else did- I welcome you not to come back).

I was reading where one the actors on Stranger Things is winning over even more fans by agreeing to do things like be in their school photos with them and officiate their weddings.

David Harbour agreed to those separate fan requests if the fans in question got a certain number of re-Tweets of their requests- and both passed the marks rather quickly.

So I got to thinking- we have a couple of rather sizable movie studios near our Saturday Night Karaoke spot at the Tavern, I should come up with some kind of similar ploy to get some of the actors to stop by and hang out with us and maybe sing a song or two. Then I realized I probably wouldn't know who most of the actors were if they walked in and said "hi." I mean, sure, if it was some of the Avengers' cast or something I'd probably recognize them (even if I didn't know their names), but- even then- maybe not. I'm rather pop-culture illiterate. 

Anyone wanna be my sidekick on this one?

The NFL's conference championships are coming up later on today, and I'm rooting for a Jaguars-Vikings for a number of reasons:

1. I've rooted for the Jaguars since they joined the league in 1995. They were a much more "local" team than the Falcons.
2. Fuck the Patriots.
3. The Super Bowl's in Minneapolis. There's never been a team in the Super Bowl who was playing in their home stadium.
4. Fuck the Patriots.
5. The NFL would fucking hate it. The Jaguars and the Vikings are considered small market teams, since Jacksonville's metro population is 1.6 million, and Minneapolis' is 3.5 million. The NFL wants the big market Patriots-Eagles matchup that would involve teams from markets of over six million and over four and a half million each. 
6. Fuck the Patriots.
7. The Vikings' predominant team color is purple- Prince's favorite color. Prince was born in Minnesota and lived there most of his life. 

The coroner's report on Tom Petty's cause of death was released this week, with Petty's family posting this message to his Facebook page Friday:
"Our family sat together this morning with the Medical Examiner – Coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.
Unfortunately Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip.
Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury.
On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication.
We knew before the report was shared with us that he was prescribed various pain medications for a multitude of issues including Fentanyl patches and we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident.
As a family we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.
On a positive note we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed.
We continue to mourn with you and marvel at Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' incredible positive impact on music and the world. And we thank you all for your love and support over the last months.
Thank you also for respecting the memory of a man who was truly great during his time on this planet both publicly and privately.
We would be grateful if you could respect the privacy of the entire Heartbreaker family during this difficult time.
Dana Petty and Adria Petty"

Former Kinks, Zombies, and Argent bassist Jim Rodford died yesterday at his home in England. 
Rod Argent, Rodford's cousin and bandmate, confirmed the news on the Zombies’ Facebook page:
"It is with deep sadness that I learned this morning that my dear cousin and lifelong friend, Jim Rodford, died this morning after a fall on the stairs."
"Jim was not only a magnificent bass player, but also from the first inextricably bound to the story of The Zombies. An enormous enabler for us. To the end, Jim's life was dedicated to music. He was unfailingly committed to local music -- an ever present member of the local scene in St.Albans, where he had spent his whole life."
Rodford was with the Zombies from 1961 until their breakup in 1968, then played with Argent before joining the Kinks in 1978. He stay with the fighting Davies brothers until 1997 and joined a reformed Zombies in the late 90s. He remained a member of the group until his death, performing with them just a week ago.

Birthdays today include: "Baby Spice" Emma Bunton of Spice Girls (42); Rob Brill of Berlin (62); Billy Ocean (67); Mac Davis (76); and Plácido Domingo (77). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 16, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy kiddios. Hope you're staying warm and toasty on this blustery night.

Police in London say there's no evidence of foul play in the death of Cranberries' singer Dolores O'Riordan.

O'Riordan was found dead Monday morning at a London hotel. Though police ruled her death "non-suspicious," it is still considered "unexplained" as the investigation moves to a coroner to determine the cause of death. O'Riordan suffered physical and mental health problems over the years, and the band cut short a world tour in last year due to her back problems.

Her bandmates posted this on Facebook late yesterday.

Her family has asked for privacy.

Rick Springfield told ABC's Paula Faris he hoped that talking to her about his decades-long battle with depression- in hopes that his story will give others suffering from the disease "hope."

"I want them to have hope ... and know that the moment will pass. I'm an example of the moment passing, because I've been there a couple of times, and haven't ... for want of a better phrase, pulled the trigger." Springfield added that he had considered suicide a number of times during his life, including as recently as last year.

"I was close enough," Springfield said. "I worked my way through it. Which I've always done." He said his family and the "feeling that there's some way that I can help this planet" is what makes him feel life is worth living, but "...(when) you get to the really dark point, nothing's enough," he explained.

Birthdays today include: Maxine Jones of En Vogue (56); Sade (59); Greedy Smith of Mental As Anything (62); Jim Stafford (74); and Ronnie Milsap (75). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for January 14, 2018

Good Sunday afternoon, kiddios. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Not a good week for fans of Georgia-based teams, huh? For UGA, it was like Mark Richt never left. The Falcons? Well, that's just how they roll.

The Jaguars sure look good halfway through their game, though. That's the only game I was interested in watching, really.

I spent a good bit of Sunday morning cleaning out the home office, ostensibly so I can get back to using my elliptical and actually have a home office, and big chunk of that time was spent shredding old papers like bank statements of my mom's and things like that. Then I came across my dad's high school diploma from Palo Alto High. And my mom's from Girls High School in Atlanta. And this.

Jill Hall, Bachelor of Laws. Presented by the Atlanta Law School, May 21, 1946.

Well, now it appears that the officials must have bets placed on a Steelers-Patriots matchup in the AFC title game. That's the only way I can figure the reasoning behind some of these calls and non-calls so far.

Ticketmaster has settled its lawsuit with Songkick.

The settlement will see Ticketmaster acquiring Songkick's remaining assets and paying company's owners $110 million.

The two-year legal battle- which had not yet gone to trial- between began as anti-trust suit, but eventually included industrial espionage allegations. The case was set to go to trial later this month in Los Angeles federal court.

"We are pleased that we were able to resolve this dispute and avoid protracted and costly legal proceedings, while also acquiring valuable assets," said Live Nation president Joe Berchtold in a statement. 

New Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her 38 member transition team Friday, and it includes two high-profile entertainers: T.I. and Run The Jewels' Killer Mike.

The two rappers will aid in some of the mayor’s major housing, education and public safety initiatives, as well as advising in the search and recruitment for members of Bottoms' cabinet.

Other members of the team include UPS CEO David Abney and Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastain.

Genius.

Club Nomadic, a traveling nightclub for "VIP experiences" that had been building its venue in a parking lot at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, has cancelled their shows that had been scheduled to coincide with Super Bowl LII festivities.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, who run the club, says that they determined the wouldn't be able to assure events at Club Nomadic would meet the tribe's "standards of quality." Gwen Stefani, Florida Georgia Line, The Chainsmokers, and DJ Kygo were among the acts scheduled to appear, and will instead perform inside Mystic Lake.

Was she facing the rains?

TMZ reports that New Hampshire police have told Taylor Swift has been told to beware an obsessive fan claiming to be her boyfriend who told authorities he needs a gun to "protect" her.

The 59 year old man was was being questioned in a separate case, and told officers that he was Swift’s boyfriend, before showing them messages he claimed to have received from her.

Officers said the man asked how many states he could drive through with an open carry permit, and told them he needed a gun to protect Swift in Africa.

AMC says The Walking Dead will return for a ninth season with a new showrunner. The announcement was made yesterday and comes on the heals of a fan petition demanding that Scott M. Gimple be fired on the heels of last season's plot developments.

The network named writer/co-executive producer Angela Kang showrunner, which should irritate fans just as much- seeing as she was co-writer of the mid-season finale that got them up in arms in the first place. Plus, despite fans' desire for his removal, AMC said Gimple will take the role of Chief Content Officer and oversee the whole title's TV universe, including spin-off Fear The Walking Dead.

The second half of the show's eighth season begins February 25.

Surviving Motörhead members Phil Campbell and Mickey Dee will reunite for "a few select shows" in honor of Lemmy.

Campbell and Dee are all that's left of the legendary metal group after the death of Fast Eddie Clark last week.

Campbell told Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon that he and Dee would be accompanied by a number of special guests. "We want to do something special," he said, and added that details were still being worked out.

Birthdays today include: Caleb Followill of Kings Of Leon (35); Pitbull (36); Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters (49); LL Cool J (50); Slick Rick (53); Chas Smith of Madness (58); Geoff Tate of Queensryche (59); T-Bone Burnett; and Jack Jones (80). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for January 11, 2018

Hey-oh, kiddios. Hope you're doing well. It's a dreary evening here at the karaoke compound- a great excuse to sit here and do a whole bunch of nothing.

Well, that's not exactly true- I'm still working on the songbooks. I've said this before- but I'm not a fan of censoring the music due to content. That said, I'm removing a lot of songs because of content. I hate to do it, but the ones that are going contain either racial or homophobic epithets. It used to be that I'd just warn whoever wanted to perform those songs not to include those particular words, but some folks just can't seem to control themselves. So, away they go. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way, because Googling the lyrics for over 20,000 songs is getting old.

Don't forget to join Mark for Saturday Night Karaoke, live, loud, and all up in your business this week at the Iron Horse Tavern in historic downtown Norcross.

Grammy winner Ricky Martin and his longtime boyfriend Jwan Yosef have secretly tied the knot, Martin told E! News yesterday."I’m a husband, but we’re doing a heavy party in a couple of months. We exchanged vows, and we’ve swear [sic] everything, and we’ve signed all the papers that we needed to sign, prenups and everything … It feels amazing! I can’t introduce him as my fiancé. I can’t. He’s my husband. He’s my man."

Martin and Yosef are already parents- raising 9-year-old twin sons- and Martin says he wants "four more pairs of twins. I would love to have a big family, but there’s a lot going on at this moment, a lot of work..."

Get out the hairspray and neon spandex- the Lost 80s Live Tour is hitting the road with a load of one hit wonders. The 30 city outing starts August 3rd at Coney Island and wraps up September 6 in Pomona, California.

Performers include A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, Animotion, The Romantics, Missing Persons, Men Without Hats, Naked Eyes, Dramarama, Boys Don't Cry, and more.

Motorhead guitarist "Fast Eddie" Clarke died yesterday, according to a post on the band's official Facebook page.

Fellow band member Mikkey Dee said he saw Clarke "not too long ago and he was in great shape. So this is a complete shock," he said before adding his condolences to Eddie's "family and close ones."

Birthdays today include: Mary J. Blige (46); Tom Rowlands of Chemical Brothers (46); Tom Dumont of No Doubt (50); Vicki Peterson of The Bangles (60); Naomi Judd (72). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 9, 2018

I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but... Hey, TBS- it doesn't matter how many times you run that promo, Conan still isn't funny.

Speaking of give it a rest already, the Drop the Mic show needs to just fucking go away.

Hey kids. Hope your Tuesday went well.

Probably not, if you're a UGA fan- or if you lived anywhere near downtown Atlanta and had to deal with the fuckery of shit-tons of traffic and the added, uh, joy, of a visit from the president.

Willie Nelson was forced to abruptly end his show in San Diego over the weekend.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Nelson had barely begun the show when he began coughing and having trouble breathing. Nelson’s publicist told the Union-Tribune that the 84-year-old singer was suffering from either "a bad cold or the flu" and was returning to his Texas home to recuperate.

Nelson's illness also led to the cancellation of his three upcoming shows in Palm Springs, Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada, this week. No word was given on whether those shows would be rescheduled- or if Nelson's illness would lead him cancelling any of his February shows, which begin on the 7th in Macon.

Nothing says "class" like painting a huge mural of the first search warrant that was executed against you in your den, à la Chris Brown.

Hot on the heels of confirming she was being sued by Radiohead (more on that below), Lana Del Rey was forced to cancel show in Kansas City tonight.

Kansas City, Missouri, I’m so sorry to have to cancel the show tomorrow but I’ve come down with the flu so I’ll be resuming the tour in Chicago. We will try and find a make up date- and refunds are available at point of purchase.

— Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 9, 2018

Del Rey's LA to the Moon Tour kicked off last Friday and is set to span North and South America, Australia, and Europe.

Radiohead's publisher is denying that legal action has been brought against Del Ray, telling Pitchfork that, while it was "true that (Warner/Chappell have) been in discussions since August of last year with Lana Del Rey's representatives... no lawsuit has been issued and Radiohead have not said they "'will only accept 100%'" of the publishing of 'Get Free'."

I mentioned that we'd gone to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi last week- and, let me tell you, the previews for The Avengers: Infinity War previews looked pretty bad ass in 3D.

Fuck the Police from N.W.A. has been broadcasting over Dunedin, New Zealand police scanners for the "past few days," according to the Otago Daily Times.
Inspector Kevin Lloyd said the prank is putting people "in danger" and said "if it carries on and if they do what they’re doing it will delay a response."
Police scanners in the area have also reportedly been picking up songs by Rage Against the Machine.

Birthdays today include: Dave Matthews of Dave Matthews Band (51); Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth (51); Carl Bell of Fuel (51); Eric Erlandson of Hole (54); Crystal Gayle (66); David Johansen of New York Dolls (67); Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin (73); Kenneth Kelly of The Manhattans (74); and Joan Baez (76). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 7, 2018

Gee- I guess I'm not doing a very good job keeping up, am I? In my defense, I had a busy week at work, I'm still fighting this freaking sinus crud, I've been working on getting all the songbooks up to date (I reprint them once a year), and trying to figure out what the hell happened to the amp that crapped out on me two weeks ago (thank goodness for the other one I had).

Unlike seemingly everyone else on Facebook, the number of fucks I give about tomorrow night's "national championship" game is precisely zero. Which, coincidentally, how many I give about the Falcons' playoff games. History says that it doesn't matter what the Falcons do, they'll choke when it matters most.

Lana Del Rey has confirmed that Radiohead has filed suit against her, claiming copyright infringement. 

According to the suit, Del Rey's song Get Free was inspired by the band's Creep (you know, that song that made the famous, but that they hate and refuse to play?).

It’s true about the lawsuit. Although I know my song wasn’t inspired by Creep, Radiohead feel it was and want 100% of the publishing - I offered up to 40 over the last few months but they will only accept 100. Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court.

— Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 7, 2018

A spokesperson for Radiohead declined to respond to Billboard's request for a comment on the suit.

Sara Bareilles is joining the cast of NBC's live production of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing Mary Magdalene opposite John Legend in the show, set to air on Easter Sunday.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said the network was "overjoyed to have... Bareilles...and I can guarantee that her interpretation of the standard I Don’t Know How to Love Him will become an instant classic."
A six-time Grammy nominee, Bareilles, wrote the music and lyrics for Waitress on Broadway that earned her a Tony for best original score.

Went and checked out Star Wars: The Last Jedi last week. I loved it. And I'm not ashamed to say I cried when the dedication popped up at the end:

Rape and kidnapping charges against the members of the Polish death metal band Decapitated were dropped Friday Washington state prosecutors.

Band members had been detained since a woman claimed she was gang-raped by them after a concert in Spokane, but prosecutors filed a motion in Spokane County Superior Court to dismiss the charges citing the "well-being of the victim" as the reason. A trial had been scheduled to begin January 16.

An attorney for one of the band's members said that the group was "headed back home this week... All the guys are interested in putting this behind them and moving on."

Despite the prosecutor's move, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the men could be charged again in the future.

Mary J. Blige is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week.
The ceremony be held Thursday in front of Eastown at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. in front of Eastown. P-Daddy-Diddy-Puff-Whatever-The-Fuck-His-Name-Is-Combs will be on hand to help unveil the star.
Walk of Fame ceremonies producer Ana Martinez says "Blige is one of the most popular singers of our generation. Fans will be thrilled to see her star on the Boulevard as her career milestones are celebrated on this very famous sidewalk."

Birthdays today include: Ivan L. Moody of Five Finger Death Punch (38); Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik (52); Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's (59); and Kenny Loggins (70); #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for January 1, 2018

Well, well- good Monday morning, kids.

New week, new year, eh? In the words of Colonel Sherman T. Potter, "may she be a damned sight better than the old one."

It's a tad chilly out, yeah? I saw the wind chill in Times Square was 0° for the ball drop last night. I'm not sure what it was here in Norcross last night, but I'm guess not all that much higher. For once, I actually wore my coat all night indoors.

Did you know there was a sequel to Mary Poppins in the works? Me, neither. 

Do you think that's a good idea? Me, neither.

One thing I'm not, really, anymore is a DJ. I have no real grasp of new music (regardless of genre), other than what I occasionally hear on TV, or someone perform at karaoke.

That said, it should come as no surprise that my music catalog- while quite extensive- doesn't include a lot of music from the past 20 years or so. Yet it does, for some reason. At least, for some people. 

I certainly don't mind folks requesting songs- but, hey, be specific. Mainly for the reason I just stated. 

Also- pretty much every single song I played? Just because it's not the latest crap-fest from Beyonce or whatever doesn't mean it's not dance music.

In just three weeks, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has racked up more than $1 billion in ticket sales. Oh, to be a Disney stockholder.

Speaking of big money, U2 tops the list of 2017's high grossing tours- raking in some $316 million and selling nearly three million tickets. Guns N' Roses were second with nearly $293 million in sales.
Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Metallica rounded out the top five.

Buckingham Palace announced Friday that Barry Gibb and Ringo Starr would be among those knighted by the Queen in the 2018 New Year's Honors.

Huge congrats Sir Ringo! Sir Richard Starkey has a nice ring to it. Best drummer best pal! X Paul

A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) on Dec 30, 2017 at 5:21am PST

TMZ reports that singer Keyshia Cole has been ordered to pay a $100,000 settlement in a suit filed as a result of alleged assault in 2014.

The plaintiff claims Cole attacked her and ultimately caused her to lose the use of a finger. The lawsuit she filed against the singer sought $4 million. The suit was decided in her favor in large part due to Cole's failure to appear.

Call it heresy or whatever, but I personally think Rick & Morty sucks. I was reminded of this fact when I got home this morning and Cartoon Network was running all of the show's episodes. Which led me to switch the TV back over to SyFy's The Twilight Zone New Year's "marathon."

Birthdays today include: Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest (37); Grandmaster Flash (60); Diane Warren (61); Morgan Fisher of Mott the Hoople (68); and Country Joe McDonald of Country Joe & The Fish (76). #MusicalBirthdays