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The Commodores Become Latest Act to Ditch ‘Freedom 250’ Concerts in D.C. After Backlash Over Trump Ties

The Commodores are the latest act to announce their exit from the Freedom 250 concert series set for Washington, D.C. next month, following the declared departures of Morris Day and Young MC from the retro-heavy bill. The exits have followed quick backlash from fans of these respective artists after the concerts were announced Wednesday morning, […]

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Trump Says ‘Cancel It’ About Troubled ‘Freedom 250’ Concert Series, After Slamming ‘Overpriced, Third Rate Artists’ His Organization Booked

President Donald J. Trump is now saying “cancel it” about the concert series his Freedom 250 organization is putting on in June and July, after five of the nine artists announced backed out within 48 hours of the shows being announced. He wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday night: “We should have a giant […]

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Tyne Daly on the Joy of Returning to Theater with Pasadena Playhouse’s ‘Brigadoon’: ‘It’s Full of Living People — 68 of Them Who Run This Show, and There’s Not an AI Anywhere!’

In the acclaimed revival of “Brigadoon” now playing at Pasadena Playhouse, Tyne Daly is by far the marquee name, as the “Cagney & Lacey” star appears as the Widow Lundie, a role that got a gender switch from the character’s original incarnation as a Mr. Lundie. She’s not on stage a great deal, compared to […]

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Young MC Follows Morris Day in Exiting D.C. ‘Freedom 250’ Festival Over Trump Connection, as C+C Music Factory Weighs Options: ‘The Artists Were Never Told About Any Political Involvement’

On the very day the “Freedom 250” concert series was announced, rapper Young MC became the second artist to publicly back out of the government-sponsored festival taking place on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C.. His exit following Morris Day’s statement earlier Wednesday that he and the Time would have nothing to do with the […]

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Bill Cody, Grand Ole Opry Announcer and Revered WSM Country Radio Personality, Dies at 67

Bill Cody, one of the nation’s most revered country radio personalities from his decades-long roles as an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry and WSM morning show host, died Tuesday in Nashville. He was 67. In recent days, much of Nashville’s country music community had sent out calls for prayer on behalf of Cody, after […]

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How Did Rush Become the Hipster Band of 2026? A New Fan’s Appreciation of Their Triumphant Forum Comeback… Aided by a Substitute Drummer Who’s Giving a ‘Fifty Something’ Group a Fresh Spark

Step (or fly) aside, Geese. Circle back later, Turnstile. Take five and go flaccid, Viagra Boys. There can only be one rock band that is unquestionably and certifiably the cool kids’ choice in 2026, and whatever indie cred the rest of you kids may carry, this town ain’t big enough for both you and Rush. […]

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Why Taylor Swift’s Reunion With Country Music for ‘Toy Story 5’ Ought to Get Her a First Date With Oscar

On June 10, Taylor Swift marked another small career milestone when her “Toy Story 5” song “I Knew It, I Knew You” “closed the panel” at country radio, getting instantly added at all 157 stations that report to Mediabase’s country chart — something that’s only occurred three times before, and never for a female artist. […]

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Bret Michaels Is Fifth Act to Pull Out of ‘Freedom 250’ in D.C., Citing ‘Threats and Safety Concerns’ as Trump-Backed Shows ‘Evolved Into Something Divisive’

As Kris Kristofferson might have put it, “Freedom 250” is just another word for a festival with very few acts left to lose. As of Friday morning, five out of nine artists announced roughly 48 hours earlier for the “Freedom 250” concerts on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C. have officially declared their intentions to […]

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Taylor Swift’s ‘Toy Story 5’ Song ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ Debuts on Digital Services

Jessie and her owner are reunited, in the apparent scenario laid out in Taylor Swift’s new “Toy Story 5” song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which debuted on digital services Thursday night. Also reunited (and it feels so good): Taylor Swift and country music — as promised by Disney when they first helped Swift […]

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Morris Day Denies He’s Playing Controversial ‘Freedom 250’ Festival in D.C., After Fans Balk at His Advertised Participation: ‘It’s a No for Me’

Singer Morris Day has denied what he is calling “rumors” that he and the Time are set to play a “Freedom 250” concert on the National Mall next month, even though organizers announced him as headlining a show June 27 as part of a 16-day patriotic fair in Washington, D.C. that is controversial for its […]

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BTS Wins Artist of the Year at American Music Awards, as Katseye, Sombr, ‘Golden’ Also Score Top Honors: Complete Winners List

A hiatus was no damper on fan love for BTS: The group won Artist of the Year prize at the American Music Awards Monday night, scoring that fan-voted honor for a second time, and for the first time since going on a hiatus for military service. They previously picked it up in 2021. Katseye draws […]

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Katseye Brings the AMAs’ House Down With Beary Exciting ‘Pinky Up’ Performance, Before Winning Best New Artist

Teahouses and raves have not often been mentioned in the same breath, but Katseye brought the hyper-pop dance party to a beyond-brightly-colored tearoom set with the quintet’s live rendition of “Pinky Up” on the American Music Awards. The galvanizing number came shortly before the group won best new artist on the CBS/Paramount+ telecast. Kateye’s performance […]

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