Courtesy of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
U2, Brian Wilson and Van Morrison are among the music artists that have made the shortlist to be nominated for a Best Original Song award for the 2022 Oscars.
Among the finalists in the Best Original Song category are U2’s Sing 2 track “Your Song Saved My Life”; “Right Where I Belong,” from the Wilson documentary Long Promised Road, which the Beach Boys legend co-wrote with My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James; and Morrison’s “Down to Joy,” from the film Belfast.
Meanwhile, a few music-related movies also were chosen for the shortlist of the Best Documentary Feature prize, including the Todd Haynes-directed The Velvet Underground, about the influential Lou Reed-led rock band.
The 2022 Oscar nominees will be announced February 8. The ceremony takes place March 27 on ABC.
Guitarist Ronnie Wood has revealed that he was the last Rolling Stones member to see Charlie Watts before the drummer passed away on August 24.
Last Friday, Wood was a guest on Ireland’s The Late Late Show, where he chatted with host Ryan Tubridy and performed a duet version of the Elvis Presley hit “Blue Christmas” with Corrs singer Andrea Corr. A studio version of the tune was released as a digital charity single earlier this month.
During the interview portion, Wood revealed that he saw Watts “a couple of weeks” before he died, explaining that he visited Charlie at the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in London, where the drummer was in the same room where Ronnie stayed when he was being treated for cancer.
Wood recalled that Watts quipped, “This is the Ronnie Wood Suite. I can’t wait to get out of here,” to which Ronnie responded, “Well…come out, Charlie, in your own good time.”
Wood said Watts had been doing well at the time, but was given some additional treatments that he “didn’t handle well,” and went downhill after that.
Ronnie also mentioned that drummer Steve Jordan, who stepped in for Watts on The Rolling Stones’ recent U.S. tour, “with Charlie’s blessing,” “put a new boot in the band…and each concert got better and better.”
Reflecting on Watt’s passing, Wood added, “Everyone’s handled it well, and I’m sure he’s with us all the time when we’re playing.”
Regarding the “Blue Christmas” single, Corr explained that she approached Wood with the idea to do the track, and he happily agreed.
The song is available now, with proceeds to benefit Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services in Dublin.
You can watch the full Late Late Show episode at RTE.ie; Ronnie’s appearance begins at the 1:07:15 mark.
Ringo Starr has published several photo books over the years, and now the famed Beatles drummer has a new volume of images coming out next year that focuses specifically on his legendary group.
The limited-edition book, titled Lifted: Fab Images and Memories of My Life with The Beatles from Across the Universe, will be released on Valentine’s Day, February 14, and can be pre-ordered now exclusively at JuliensAuctions.com.
Two editions of Lifted will be available — a Collector’s Edition that’s priced at $59 and a Signature Edition that costs $495. The Signature Edition, limited to just 500 copies, will feature a color cover of The Beatles signed by Ringo and will come housed in a special slip case.
The book will pay tribute to Starr’s years with the Fab Four and will feature many rare, unseen and newly discovered photos of the band members, alongside with Ringo’s written recollections and anecdotes.
Starr put together Lifted with help from noted pop-culture journalist and author David Wild while quarantining during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition to including images from his personal archives, Ringo “lifted” photos of the band that caught his eye from the internet.
“These fantastic images came back to me in recent years from across the universe and have somehow helped me get back to seeing my life with The Fab Four through fresh eyes,” Ringo says in a statement. “A lot of the photos in this book I saw on my phone and on my computer and I lifted them because they brought back so many fabulous memories.”
Proceeds from Lifted: Fab Images and Memories of My Life with The Beatles from Across the Universe will benefit Ringo’s Lotus Foundation, which funds and supports charitable projects that focus on various social welfare causes.
Metallica is here to help make your holiday season a bit heavier.
The metal legends have announced rebroadcasts of their recent 40th anniversary concert streams. You can watch both shows on-demand via the Coda Collection channel on Amazon Prime Video from December 24 at noon ET through December 27.
Metallica’s 40th anniversary shows took place December 17 and 19 in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, and were streamed online for free. The sets included performances from songs off every one of ‘Tallica’s 10 studio albums.
In other Metallica news, a beloved shirt belonging to Cliff Burton has finally been returned to the late bassist’s family. The shirt, which featured the logo from the ’70s horror classic Dawn of the Dead, was brought back by Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin, who’d played with Burton in their first band, EZ-Street.
“A huge Thank You to Mike ‘Puffy’ Bordin for bringing Cliff’s original Dawn of the Dead shirt back home where it belongs,” the Burton family writes in an Instagram post. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and we appreciate Mike and the person who kept it safe for us for 30 plus years.”
“Our only regret is Ray isn’t here to see it,” the post concludes, referring to Cliff’s late father, who died in 2020.
Stevie Nicks and Eddie Vedder join Elton John and a whole lot of other big-name artists on the “ultimate Zoom call.”
The star-studded video chat, which has been posted on Elton’s official YouTube channel, features the “Rocket Man legend talking remotely with many of the collaborators on his new album, The Lockdown Sessions, including the Fleetwood Mac singer and Pearl Jam frontman.
At one point during the video, Nicks, who contributed vocals to a song called “Stolen Car” on The Lockdown Sessions, tells Elton, “It was my pleasure to sing with you, and I hope I did a good job on your song, ’cause I really tried hard and I love it so much.”
Later on in the clip, Vedder brings out a Disneyland ticket in reference to his Lockdown Sessions song with John, “E-Ticket.” “Recording with you, my friend, was the greatest ride anybody could offer,” Eddie tells Elton.
Vedder also shares a drawing he owns of John as a superhero that was made by late Who bassist John Entwistle.
Other Lockdown Sessions guests who showed up include Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz/Blur frontman Damon Albarn, Miley Cyrus, producer Andrew Watt, Brandi Carlile, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj.
After the Zoom call ends, we see Elton sitting alone in his house when his pal, U.K. pop star Ed Sheeran, with whom he recently released the holiday single “Merry Christmas,” runs into the room wearing a Santa hat.
After joking around a bit, Ed then snuggles up to Elton and embraces him, and the two both wish fans a Merry Christmas.
The Lockdown Sessions was released in October. As its name suggests, the record includes a variety of collaborations John recorded while quarantining amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
ZZ Top is the latest veteran rock act to sell its catalog for big bucks.
The little ol’ band from Texas has made a deal with BMG and the investment firm KKR to acquire its “entire music interests,” including the band’s publishing catalog and its income from recorded and performance royalties.
ZZ Top, whose bass player, Dusty Hill, died unexpectedly this year, released 15 albums throughout their five-decade career, including the ’80s smashes Eliminator and Afterburner, and the classics Tres Hombres, Fandango and Degüello. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.
The band’s manager said in a statement, “This new deal ensures ZZ Top’s remarkable legacy will endure for generations to come.”
As for the price tag, sources tell Variety that it’s estimated to be around $50 million.
Two of Eddie Money‘s musical kids, son Dez and daughter Jesse Money, are celebrating the holiday season and paying tribute to their late dad by releasing a new version of his 1997 yuletide tune “Everybody Loves Christmas.”
The updated track, which has been renamed “Everybody Loves Christmas: A Song for Dad,” was recorded by Dez and Jesse, and also features some vocals by Eddie added from the original version of the tune. Dez produced the song.
According to a post on Money’s Facebook page, Eddie wrote “Everybody Loves Christmas” for Dez, Jesse and their brothers Zach, Joe and Julian when they all were children. The original studio version featured guest vocals by Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, with whom Eddie famously duetted on his 1986 hit “Take Me Home Tonight.”
“Everybody Loves Christmas: A Song for Dad” is available now via digital-music sellers and steaming services. You also can purchase the track at EddieMoney.com. A t-shirt featuring the single’s cover art also is being sold at the website. Proceeds from sales of the shirt and other merch items on the website will benefit the Eddie Money USC Cancer Research Fund.
Money died in September 2019 from complications of esophageal cancer. He was 70.
Throughout December, Eddie’s family has been paying homage to the singer on his Facebook page by posting various archival photos taken of him with his wife, Laurie, and kids during the holidays.
Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson has partnered with the Patreon membership platform to offer fans access to brand-new songs, unreleased music and videos he’s created, livestreamed events, artwork and more.
“I am thrilled to embark on this journey with you as I create the next chapter of my life’s work,” Anderson explains. “After years of dealing with the runaround of big record labels, I have decided to partner with you, as those of you who enjoy my work have always been my greatest support and inspiration.”
He continues, “There are many great projects I have been working on including lots of new music, paintings, a book, and short stories. Your patronage will allow me to continue my work and will offer you priceless access.”
Three membership levels for Jon’s Patreon platform will be available — Silver, Gold and Platinum, costing $10, $50 and $100 a month, respectively.
A Silver membership offers early access to new songs and projects, livestreams of rehearsals and events, behind-the-scenes videos of Anderson working on various projects, early access to tickets for select concerts, and access to Jon’s general archives.
A Gold membership offers everything available to Silver members, as well as access to Anderson’s “Select Archives,” a monthly live interactive Q&A with Jon, and surprise gifts that you’ll receive throughout your first year of patronage.
The Platinum offers all the benefits available to Gold and Silver members, as well as access to Anderson’s “Gold Vault Archives,” pre-release previews of Jon’s work, access to participate in something called “Jon’s Opus Puzzle,” a private livestreamed concert with Anderson and more.
Jon shared more details about his Patreon pertnership in a recent Facebook post. Visit Patreon.com for more info or to sign up for a membership.
Billie Joe Armstrong will be ringing in 2022 alongside Miley Cyrus.
The Green Day frontman is set to perform on Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, hosted by the pop star and Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The lineup also includes 24kGoldn, Brandi Carlile, Saweetie and others.
Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party airs December 31 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
In addition to celebrating a new year, Armstrong also appears to be working on new music. In an Instagram post over the weekend, Green Day shared a video of the punk trio recording at he RAK Studios in London.
Green Day released three new singles in 2021: “Here Comes the Shock,” “Pollyanna” and “Holy Toledo!” The band’s most recent album is 2020’s Father of All…
Billy Corgan‘s father, William Dale Corgan, has passed away at age 74.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman announced the news over the weekend with a series of videos, in which he described his “long, crazy, complicated relationship” with Billy Sr.
“On the bright side of it all, he inspired me to be the musician that I am,” Corgan said. “He made me be way better than I would’ve ever been without him. He was a fantastic musician, and a great teacher in his own way.”
Corgan added that while his dad “didn’t really understand what I was doing, musically,” during the early days of the Pumpkins, he later “came around and became my biggest fan and supporter.”
Following the announcement, Corgan played a holiday concert at Madame ZuZu’s, the Chicago tea shop he owns with his partner, Chloe Mendel.
“The show goes on — that’s what my father believed in,” Corgan said.
WILLIAM DALE CORGAN, 1947-2021
“He inspired me to be the musician that I am. He made me be way better than I would have ever been. He was a fantastic musician, and a great teacher in his own way.” pic.twitter.com/cEiBekR0FC
