ABC - Adult Contemporary News

Adam Lambert thrills London fans by bringing back his viral performance of "The Muffin Man"

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While playing at London's legendary Royal Albert Hall this week, Adam Lambert played the hits and fan favorites, but the crowd seemed really thrilled when he threw in something he once did on TV as a joke.

Back in April, Adam Lambert appeared on Jimmy Fallon's show That's My Jam. During the Wheel of Musical Impressions segment, he was tasked with singing the children's song "The Muffin Man" in the style of Cher. Adam ended up singing, "Do you know the Muffin Man" to the tune of Cher's "Believe," and totally slayed.

The video of his performance has since racked up 2.7 million views, so when Adam was performing "Believe" during his show at the Royal Albert Hall, he switched to "The Muffin Man" in the middle of the song. The fans screamed in recognition and then sang along.

Documenting the moment on Instagram, Adam wrote, "Sometimes you just have to give the people what they want." 

Fans filled the comments section with praise for the performance, with one writing, "I will be able to tell my grandchildren in decades to come that I was at the Royal Albert Hall when Adam Lambert sang Muffin Man !!!"

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Music notes: Christina Aguilera and Michael Bublé

Wanna learn how to recreate some of Christina Aguilera’s most memorable hairstyles? The singer is teaming up with SexyHair for the hair care brand’s 25th anniversary campaign, which will include tutorials of some of her famous ‘dos.

Michael Bublé says he's moved that a fan got a tattoo of him eating corn on the cob. “I went to Disney[land] and was eating corn on the cob the wrong way, apparently most people don’t eat it from the top,” he explained to Australian show The Project of the ink's reference photo. “But that was the closest thing to a real love note that I’ve ever had and it was sexy and phallic and I felt like people made fun of me but part of it was jealousy."

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Elton John asks for phone number of blind child in audience: "He just broke my heart all night"

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Now that Elton John's a father of two young boys, he seems to have a soft spot for kids — including one visually impaired child who attended his concert Tuesday night in Leeds, England.

In video posted on the Leeds-Live website, Elton is seen stopping the concert to praise fans in the audience who've attended more than 100 of his concerts and other fans who've dressed up like him. "It makes me feel so happy," he says. "And I'll tell you what made me feel even happier tonight is a little boy in the front row called Louie." 

"And he can’t see me but he can hear me," Elton added. "And he just broke my heart all night.” 

As the audience cheered, Elton told the boy, "You are so special, young man, and you made me feel so great tonight. I tell you what, we are going to get your telephone number and I’ll keep in touch with you.” The audience cheered again.

Elton thanked the crowd for "so many years of love and loyalty," adding, "You’ve shown me more kindness on this tour than I can ever remember."

Elton's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour officially wraps up in July.

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Who will Taylor Swift date next? Place your bets

Kevin Mazur/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

First, let's start off by saying that it's definitely sexist that so much attention is being paid to Taylor Swift's love life. As Rolling Stone recently noted in a headline, "We Wouldn’t Be Having This Conversation If Taylor Swift Was a Man." With that being said, an online sports betting site is literally offering odds on who she'll date next.

Online sportsbook Bovada is offering the best odds on Taylor dating Dylan O'Brien, the star of her award-winning All Too Well short film, who is also, oddly, credited with playing the drums on the song "Snow on the Beach" on her album Midnights.  

After that, the next best odds are for Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes. Since Taylor allegedly already dated Harry, it's unlikely that will happen. As for Shawn, Taylor's friend Camila Cabello might have something to say about that.

The next-best odds go to Pete Davidson — because he dates everybody — and several names that are ridiculous, like Taylor's alleged exes John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal

The rest of the list reads like a who's-who of famous men: Everyone from Michael B. JordanPedro Pascal and The Weeknd to Tom BradyTrevor Noah, Bradley Cooper and Drake.

The longest odds, though, go to an unusual bunch: Timothée Chalamet, Ansel Elgort and Lewis Capaldi.

Of course, Taylor Swift might actually just choose to be single for a while, and good for her. She's got a lot going on at the moment, between her Eras Tour and the upcoming rerelease of Speak Now

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"We are doing the impossible": As tour launches, Pink's ready for the "fantasy feat of a lifetime"

Ebru Yildiz

Pink's Summer Carnival stadium tour launches Wednesday night in Bolton, England, and she took to Instagram to share some photos and video of her preparations, as well as a note acknowledging what a huge task it is to mount a tour of this size, which she calls "a fantasy feat of a lifetime."

"63 stadiums, 3 headlining festivals and 22 more arenas for good measure across the globe," Pink writes. 

She continues, "As you know, 'bigger better faster more' is my motto, and as of today, I am all of that, plus stronger, wiser, more resilient and more ready. And I’ve never been more grateful." 

She then thanks her crew, adding, "We are doing the impossible. No one does this."

Pink goes on to write, "I’ve never asked more of this body of mine- and I have to admit- there are a couple of parts of this show I’m not sure I should be doing (you’ll know what I’m talking about very soon). There are only a handful of women that have ever done this- and yes world- I AM ONE OF THEM. Thanks to y’all."

Describing her concerts, Pink says, "We get to feel all the feelings we’ve been stuffing down. We get to close our eyes and leave it all behind. We get to scream and cry and laugh and embrace the memories we have all made together and then make some more. It is my honor to be with you and to human alongside you."

In her post, she also reveals that Queen guitarist Brian May and his family have sent her a bottle of Champagne and a note reading, "Kill 'em, Alecia!  Britain loves you and so do we." Pink sang with Queen at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert last year.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Da Ya Think I'm Pricey? Rod Stewart lists LA mansion for $70 million

Rod Stewart recently made headlines when he announced he'd abandoned plans to sell his music catalog for millions.  But he can make up for losing that income stream when he sells his mansion in Los Angeles -- for $70 million.

The Wall Street Journal says Rod is selling his 33,000-square-foot estate, which includes a nine-bedroom home on three acres, a soccer field and a pool.  Rod bought the property for just over $12 million back in 1991, and then had it designed to look like a European château, with marble floors, wood paneling, crystal chandeliers and a classical fountain outside.

The home includes a library, a formal dining room can seat 20 people, huge for what's described as Rod's "extensive shoe collection," and, most unusually, a speakeasy.  No word on whether or not it comes stocked with Rod's new signature brand of whisky, Wolfie's.

As for why Rod is selling, his real estate agent wouldn't comment, but told the Wall Street Journal that the property will appear to people who are looking for “a return to maximalism.”

It's not like Rod was going to spend a lot of time at the mansion in the near future anyway. Not only does he also own homes in England and Palm Beach, Florida, but he's currently on tour in Europe.  The North American leg of his tour starts July 29.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Turkey state of mind: Billy Joel sets Thanksgiving Eve show at Madison Square Garden

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The countdown to the end of Billy Joel's decadelong Madison Square Garden residency has begun, and you'll be able to give thanks for the past 10 years with a special Thanksgiving Eve show this November.

The show, scheduled for November 22, has just been announced, with presale tickets going on sale June 7 at 10 a.m. ET via CitiEntertainment.com and Verizon.com. The general public can buy them at 10 a.m. ET on June 9 via Ticketmaster.com

The November show will be the 96th show of Billy's residency and his 142nd lifetime show at the Garden. While Billy's final residency show — and his 150th lifetime performance at the legendary venue — will take place in July 2024, not all the shows leading up to it have been scheduled yet. The final announced Garden shows are as follows:

July 24
August 29
September 10
October 20
November 22

Meanwhile, there are still many opportunities to see Billy in places other than New York. June 16 is his next co-headlining show with Stevie Nicks, and those run on and off through next March.

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Music notes: Bon Jovi, Josh Groban and more

If you like Jon Bon Jovi's Hampton Water Rosé, you'll love the cupcakes. Sprinkles bakery is teaming up with the wine brand for a Hampton Water Rosé cupcake with strawberry jam filling and a strawberry frosting. It's available from June 30 through July 16 nationwide.

Earlier this week, Taylor Swift announced that Paramore’s Hayley Williams will guest on the upcoming Taylor's Version of her 2010 album, Speak Now. In an Instagram post Tuesday, Hayley shared her personal connection to the album and posted a photo of Taylor taken during Hayley’s 21st birthday party at a roller rink.

Josh Groban has been announced as a presenter for the 45th annual New York Honors Gala benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research. Kristin Chenoweth and director Ryan Coogler are also among the presenters. The gala will take place on June 13 at Cipriani’s 42nd Street location.

 

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Want to look like Hailey Bieber? Raid Justin Bieber's closet

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Apparently, the key to looking as effortlessly fashionable as Hailey Bieber is to have access to Justin Bieber's closet.

On Tuesday, the Rhode beauty mogul posted a photo of herself rocking a stylish outfit, with the caption, "outfit from husband's closet." She wore an oversized beige jacket, cotton shorts and a blue, white and pink striped shirt, paired with black-and-white sneakers and white ankle socks.

And it looks like she doesn't plan on giving one of those pieces back to Justin, either: In the next image, she's wearing the blue, white and pink shirt, with the caption, "This shirt will not be leaving my body."

Meanwhile, Justin was seen with Hailey in LA a few days ago, wearing his usual baseball cap, baggie hoodie and pants.

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Famed metal band Avenged Sevenfold wanted Lionel Richie to sing on their new album

Lionel: ABC/Stewart Cook; AX7: Warner Records; Art by Wes Lang

Lionel Richie counts Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters among his celebrity pals: He appeared in the band's horror movie Studio 666, and Grohl performed with Lionel when the "Hello" singer was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But it turns out there's an even harder-rocking band that wanted to collaborate with Lionel.

It seems chart-topping heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold reached out to Lionel to sing on their new album, Life Is But a Dream... . Speaking with the Nik Nocturnal Podcast, Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows revealed they reached out to Richie to sing on the track "Beautiful Morning."

Specifically, they wanted him to sing during the part of the song where the brutal, heavy metal portion ends, and a mellow, Beach Boys-like tune starts, with the lyrics, "It's a beautiful morning/ it's a beautiful day/ everybody is smiling/ In a beautiful way."

"We were talking to Lionel Richie about doing the vocal part there, forever," Shadows shared. "At the end of the day, he got too busy with America's Got Talent or whatever."

We assume Shadows meant ABC's American Idol, for which Lionel has been a judge since 2018.

"It would've been so good," Shadows says of the missed collaboration. "Everybody would've been like, 'What?'"

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Judge rules there's no evidence Dua Lipa stole "Levitating" from 2017 reggae song

Hugo Comte

Dua Lipa is off the hook when it comes to a lawsuit over her smash hit "Levitating."

As Billboard reports, last year a reggae band called Artikal Sound System claimed that "Levitating" was ripped off from their 2017 song "Live Your Life." But on Monday, a federal judge said there's no evidence that anyone who was involved with "Levitating" had ever heard the song or had access to it.

Artikal Sound System had claimed that one of the co-writers of the song worked with a woman whose guitar teacher was allegedly the brother-in-law of one of their band members. But Billboard reports that U.S. District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes said there was no "reasonable likelihood that defendants actually encountered plaintiffs’ song.”

The band also claimed that the "Levitating" writers could have heard "Live Your Life" because it was on "some" streaming platforms and they'd sold "several hundred" CDs. The judge said those arguments were "too generic or too insubstantial."

While the case against Dua was dismissed, the judge also ruled that Artikal Sound System could refile their case with more information. They have until June 16 to do so.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Madonna posts vulgar clip of Sam Smith collaboration "Vulgar"

Sonja Flemming/CBS

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Judging from a clip that Madonna has posted on TikTok, her new collaboration with Sam Smith certainly is "Vulgar."

The song drops on Friday, but the Queen of Pop posted a video on TikTok of herself lip-synching to the track. In the clip, she's not singing, but rapping — sort of.

"Let's get into the groove/ you know just what to do/ boy, get down on your needs 'cause I am Madonna," she speak-sings. "If you f*** with Sam tonight, you're f****** with me/ so watch what you say or I'll split your banana." 

She says "banana" with a British accent so it rhymes with "Madonna" — kind of.

"GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES," she captioned the TikTok, adding #SAMANDMADONNA and #VULGAR.

Sam, meanwhile, has posted a brief black-and-white clip of what looks like a scene from a video, with the caption, "VULGAR IS BEAUTIFUL."

As previously reported, Madonna introduced Sam and Kim Petras' performance of "Unholy" at the Grammys earlier this year. After the ceremony, Sam shared an Instagram photo of themselves posing with Madonna and wrote, "Overwhelmed, grateful and inspired. Thank you for your love and support @madonna. I'll never forget your kindness."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Source: Taylor Swift's relationship with Matty Healy was just "a good time" that "ran its course"

Robert Kamau/GC Images

Taylor Swift can have a summer fling with an old friend if she wants to. That seems to be the takeaway from her brief relationship with 1975 singer Matty Healy.

source confirmed to People that the two are "no longer romantically involved" and explained, "She had fun with him, but it was always casual."

And another insider tells People, "They were never boyfriend-girlfriend or exclusive and were always just having fun. There is no drama ... it was a good time and ran its course."

"Her focus right now is her tour. Since Matty is touring too, they won't be able to see each other at all," the source adds. "They have been friends for years and decided to just go back to being friends. Nothing complicated happened. It’s just life. Taylor is doing great."

As for whether or not Taylor might have ended things due to the backlash over Healy's problematic comments, the source insists, "He likes to provoke a response out of people. She's a grown woman more than capable of forming her own opinions about people. No one forces her into anything, especially not these days. She’s on top of the world."

In other Taylor news, her song "Karma" has jumped from #27 to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to the song's new remix with Ice Spice, which is on the 'Til Dawn version of her album Midnights. It's Taylor's 25th top-five hit.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


New Rule(Books): Dua Lipa says parents tell her she's inspired their kids to read

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld

Dua Lipa's latest project is the Service95 Book Club, which invites readers of her Service95 newsletter to read and discuss a book she selects each month. And Dua claims that her endorsement of reading has done the impossible — gotten kids to put down their phones and pick up a book.

"I've had a great response," she tells the Sunday Times. "People say their kids started reading because I posted about books. Everything is so bitesize now, but reading takes you from that."

"It's cool to encourage younger generations to read, which maybe isn't so instilled in them because of social media," she adds. "I know reading has been on a decline, but I read everywhere."

Dua interviewed Douglas Stuart, the author of Shuggie Bain, her first book club selection, last weekend at the U.K.'s most prestigious literary festival. According to ELLE, Stuart said he'd like to cast Dua in the TV adaptation of the book.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Kaley Cuoco says daughter Matilda is burnin' up for the Jonas Brothers

Republic Records

Kaley Cuoco's two-month-old daughter Matilda is "obsessed" with the Jonas Brothers.

"She loves the Jonas Brothers," The Big Bang Theory alum tells E! News.

"We turned it on, and I thought it was a fluke, and she was listening," Cuoco explains, "and then the next night I put it on in the bathroom when she was crying, and again she looked up and was listening."

"I was like 'Oh, it's not a fluke.' She loves them," Kaley continues, joking, "So this is her first crush, on the Jonas Brothers."

Also high on Matilda's playlist is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," adds Cuoco. "So if Jonas Brothers could record a 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' that would be really great for our household."

Kaley and her partner Tom Pelphrey welcomed Matilda on March 30. She's the first child for both.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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