Miley Cyrus has shared an unreleased song titled “Mary Jane,” in honor of the singer’s beloved dog and best friend Mary Jane who passed away after a battle with cancer.
Cyrus wrote on Instagram, “I wrote this song in Malibu years ago on a piano in a house that no longer exists. About my dog Mary Jane who is also gone now. A lot has changed over time. Mostly me. Music is my medicine. This song revolves around loss & heartache. Which I am currently experiencing after Mary Jane’s passing. MJ was a true queen. She wore her grace, dignity & kindness like a crown. She will never be forgotten and will forever be missed. To know her is to love her. It has been my honor being her mom and best friend. #RestInParadise”
Nicki Minaj has agreed to pay Tracy Chapman almost half a million dollars after Chapman sued her for taking her work without permission. Chapman was victorious after suing Minaj for her track “Sorry,” which sampled Chapman’s song “Baby Can I Hold You.” Chapman has accepted Minaj’s offer of judgment, and will not proceed to a trial. In addition to paying $450,000, Minaj will also have to cover Chapman’s legal fees.
Minaj had asked for Chapman’s permission to sample her song “Baby Can I Hold You” while making her 2018 album “Queen” but was rejected. That track, “Sorry,” was not released with the album, but it was allegedly leaked by Minaj to popular New York radio DJ Funkmaster Flex, prompting Chapman to file a lawsuit.
Chapman said in a statement after winning her lawsuit: “I am glad to have this matter resolved and grateful for this legal outcome which affirms that artists’ rights are protected by law and should be respected by other artists. I was asked in this situation numerous times for permission to use my song; in each instance, politely and in a timely manner, I unequivocally said no. Apparently Ms. Minaj chose not to hear and used my composition despite my clear and express intentions.”
Katie Couric is temporarily taking over as the host of Jeopardy! Katie will serve as one of the first guest hosts after the final episodes featuring long-time emcee Alex Trebek finish airing this week.
Trebek passed away in November after battling pancreatic cancer. He continued taping episodes after he announced his diagnosis in 2019, filming his final episode only 10 days before his death. Alex shared a message with fans about his future replacement in one of his final interviews.
Jeopardy‘s producers said the show will feature guest-hosts until a permanent replacement has been chosen. Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings will also be hosting episodes of the long-running trivia show.
Selena Gomez announced her HBO Max show, ‘Selena + Chef’ will return for a second season starting on January 21. The 28-year-old singer/actress launched her cooking show during quarantine last year, which sees her team up virtually with various master chefs, who talk her through the steps of producing gourmet meals at home.
Selena confirmed the series will return for a second season on Twitter, saying, “Selena + Chef Season 2 will be on @HBOmax January 21!” Gomez said in a video accompanying the tweet: “Hey guys, happy New Year! I’m excited to announce that ‘Selena + Chef’ season two premieres January 21st on HBO Max. Season two is bringing so much more to the table: amazing chefs who I had a blast filming with, delicious new recipes, and more of me accidentally setting things on fire. I hope you guys watch the premiere on the 21st, and come cook up some great stuff with me. I love you guys, you’re all the best. See you in my kitchen!”
For season two, Selena will continue donating $10,000 to a charity of her guest chef’s choosing at the end of each episode. Selena + Chef will be available to stream starting January 21 on HBO Max.
Halsey has just launched her first ever beauty brand, a makeup company called about-face. According to a press release, about-face, “is a multidimensional color beauty brand rooted in innovation, self-expression, and high-performance with customer experience as its highest priority.” The collection is being released with three franchises: Light Lock, Matte, and Shadowstick.
Halsey announced the makeup line on Instagram,, saying “about-face was a baby of my own conception. And it’s special to me cause I’m not just the face of some company, I’m the Creator, the Head Makeup Artist, and I hand selected every detail along the way.”
All about-face products are vegan, clean, and cruelty free and range in price from $17 to $32. The line is currently available to preorder online, with orders shipping on January 25. In early February, about-face will launch its second line, Anti-Valentines Day, a limited edition matte lip range.
Miley Cyrus‘ upcoming Metallica covers album will feature an all-star lineup of collaborators, including Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith and more.
Prior to the release of her new album Plastic Hearts, Cyrus revealed that Metallica are one of the bands who inspired the sound on her new rock album. For years, Cyrus has openly expressed her admiration for Metallica — in 2019, she performed the Temple of the Dog classic “Say Hello 2 Heaven” at Chris Cornell’s tribute concert, prompting Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to give Cyrus a shout-out on Instagram. Later that year, Cyrus performed at Glastonbury and threw in a cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” linked here.
This week, Cyrus said, “I did a Metallica cover of ‘Nothing Else Matters’ featuring Elton John on piano,” she says. “I’ve got Yo-Yo Ma, Chad Smith; so many all-stars. I’m so excited about this collaboration. I’m really stoked. I love when ingredients don’t quite fit.”
The PBS Kids series Caillou has been cancelled by the network after airing on TV for 20 years. Caillou first premiered in 1997 and ran for five seasons until 2010. Reruns of the show were then aired in syndication until now.
PBS Kids wrote on Twitter, “We’re saying farewell to @cailloudhx, but remember, when we say goodbye to something…It just means we get to say hello to something new!”
Caillou followed the adventures of af our-year-old boy named Caillou who delights in the small wonders of the world around him and learns about life while doing so. Thanks to his vivid imagination, ordinary, everyday events quickly become exciting adventures where Caillou can play “make-believe.” When he is finished playing, he happily returns to his familiar normal daily experiences with his parents, friends, and neighbors.
Machine Gun Kelly has set a premiere date for his upcoming musical film, Downfalls High. The movie, based on MGK’s 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall, will make its debut on January 15.
Kelly wrote and directed Downfalls High in collaboration with Mod Sun. The film is narrated by Kelly and his Tickets collaborator Travis Barker, and features appearances from producer blackbear, “Mood” featured artist iann dior, and rapper Trippe Redd.
For more info, check out the official website at DownfallsHigh.com. You can watch a new trailer for the movie via YouTube.
UPDATE: The GRAMMYs have confirmed that the award ceremony has been pushed back to March 14. They said in a statement: “After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.
We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
* * *
The 2021 Grammys, originally scheduled for January 31st, have been postponed due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19. It’s unclear if original host Trevor Noah is still set to host this year’s show. The Grammys had already been planning the show without an audience, only allowing presenters and performers on-site during the show. Nominated artists wouldn’t have been allowed on-site, similar to the 2020 Emmys where nominees appeared and accepted awards remotely.
California has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases following the holiday season, setting a new single-day record of 74,000 new cases on January 4th.
UPDATE: The GRAMMYs have confirmed that the award ceremony has been pushed back to March 14. They said in a statement: “After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.
We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
* * *
The 2021 Grammys, originally scheduled for January 31st, have been postponed due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19. It’s unclear if original host Trevor Noah is still set to host this year’s show. The Grammys had already been planning the show without an audience, only allowing presenters and performers on-site during the show. Nominated artists wouldn’t have been allowed on-site, similar to the 2020 Emmys where nominees appeared and accepted awards remotely.
California has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases following the holiday season, setting a new single-day record of 74,000 new cases on January 4th.
