Month: February 2022

Dolly Parton, Eminem, and Lionel Richie were among the nominees announced for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022. Also nominated were Beck, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, DEVO, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick.

John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement: “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rules state that each nominee’s first single or album must be at least 25 years old. Fans can vote on the Class of 2022 nominees at vote.rockhall.com.  Every “fan ballot” gets tallied along with a voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and music industry professionals.  Between five-seven acts will be announced in May before being officially inducted in the fall.

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Former co-stars of the hit series The Office — Steve Carell and John Krasinski — will team up again in the new film ‘If.’  Carell has joined the cast of the upcoming movie, directed by and starring Krasinski, who also will write and executive produce the film.  If is based on Krasinski’s original idea about a child’s journey to rediscover their imagination.

Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fiona Shaw had previously been announced to appear in the film, and now Alan Kim, Cailey Fleming and Louis Gossett Jr. have also been added to the cast.

Krasinski confirmed the casting news on Instagram with a collage featuring photos of Carell, Reynolds, Waller-Bridge and other cast members, along with the caption:  “Ah, what if one day I could assemble my dream cast? What… IF.”

The new movie is scheduled to debut in theaters Nov. 17, 2023.

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The NFL revealed Tuesday that the 38-year-old Mickey Guyton will sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVI, live from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Mickey tweeted: “Look at God. I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing… So excited to be singing the national anthem at #SBLVI on February 13th!”

The NFL noted that Guyton will perform the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the top of the big game; while R&B singer Jhené Aiko will perform “America the Beautiful” during the pre-show telecast, with further sets from Zedd and Mary Mary.

Guyton is the first Black woman to receive a Grammy nod in the Best Country Solo Performance category. The prestigious position of singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl has been held by iconic singers including Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Gladys Knight, Beyoncé, Cher, Diana Ross, and more.

Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams will take place Sunday, Feb. 13.

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ABC announced that Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from “The View” for two weeks over comments she made on Monday’s show about the Holocaust.  While discussing a Tennessee school district banning the graphic novel “Maus,” Goldberg said, “If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it because the Holocaust isn’t about race.” Instead, Goldberg said it was about “man’s inhumanity to man” and that both groups of people were white.

After swift backlash over her comments, Goldberg apologized on Monday night, tweeting: “As Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League shared, ‘The Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people — who they deemed to be an inferior race.’ I stand corrected. The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I’m sorry for the hurt I have caused.”

ABC News President Kim Godwin said in a statement on Tuesday: “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments. While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”

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David Letterman will be dropping by as a guest Feb. 1 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of NBC’s Late Night. Letterman was the original Late Night host who launched the after-hours franchise in 1982, before eventually moving over to the Late Show on CBS.

Late Night’s current host Seth Meyers announced the news in a video, saying: “The 40th anniversary is next Tuesday, and to celebrate, my guest that evening will be the man who started it all, David Letterman.” Meyers added, “Now that is a show that would make college-age Seth Meyers very happy. Also, current Seth Meyers.”

Letterman moved to CBS in 1993 following the hiring of Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show.  Late Night has been hosted by Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and Meyers throughout the show’s 40-year history.

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Today show host Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman have ended their engagement, breaking up after eight years together. The former couple were engaged in November 2019, and will continue to co-parent their daughters, 4-year-old Haley and 2-year-old Hope.

The 57-year-old Kotb shared on ‘Today With Hoda & Jenna’:  “People have written in and asked why I wasn’t wearing my engagement ring. Joel and I have had, we’ve had a lot of prayerful and really meaningful conversations over the holidays, and we decided that we’re better as friends and parents then we are as an engaged couple.  We decided that we are going to start this New Year and begin it on our new path, as loving parents to our adorable, delightful children and as friends. It’s not like something happened. They say that sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason or a season or for a lifetime, and I feel like ours was meant to be there for a season.”

Kotb added: “This is weird and awkward. I really was struggling with this. I was like, ‘What do I say, how do I say it?’ But I feel like often we share the joyous pieces of our life… and then the difficult part sometimes you want to forget about. You want to erase them, you don’t want to share them because that’s not part of a pretty picture. But I think a lot of women know what this feels like in this moment, to be changing course in life. And I feel really brave in this moment, I really do.”   Speaking of Schiffman, Kotb said: “He’s a great guy. He’s a very kind and loving person, and I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him.”

In October 2020, Kotb shared she was considering adopting a third child with Schiffman. When announcing her breakup, however, Kotb did not mention whether she and Schiffman are still planning on going forward with another adoption.

Hoda Kotb, Joel Schiffman Split After 8 Years Together: ‘Better as Friends’

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