Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Is Examined in FX Docuseries: See the Trailer

In an upcoming episode of The New York Times Presents, the FX docuseries will go deep on Britney Spears’ incredible pop-music success and why she’s now in a court battle with her father to take back control of her life.

On Thursday (Jan. 21), a 30-second preview was released of the “Framing Britney Spears” episode, debuting Feb. 5 on FX and FX on Hulu.

“Her rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport,” reads FX promotional material for the episode. “People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.”

At a November hearing, Spears asked the court to remove her dad, Jamie Spears, as co-conservator of her estate. Spears has been under a conservatorship led by her father since 2008, when she was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold after a hospitalization.

Some familiar faces pop up in the New York Times Presents preview, including former MTV VJ Dave Holmes and #FreeBritney organizer Leanne Simmons. Watch the preview below, and catch the episode Feb. 5 on FX.

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Justin Timberlake & Ant Clemons’ ‘Better Days’ Duet Sees Biggest Sales Boost After Inauguration

The Biden-Harris inauguration festivities on Jan. 20 spurred sales gains for the songs performed throughout the day’s celebrations, including big increases for tunes by Ant Clemons and Justin Timberlake; Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard; and Black Pumas.

Altogether, the songs performed during the daytime show Parade Across America and the primetime event Celebrating America sold 39,000 downloads in the U.S. on Jan. 20, according to initial reports to MRC Data. That’s up 2,000% compared to the 2,000 those same songs sold on Jan. 19. The sales figures include the original and popularized versions of songs covered on the two programs, including Demi Lovato’s cover of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” and Jon Bon Jovi’s take on The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”

Both Parade Across America and Celebrating America were broadcast on U.S. television across multiple networks and streamed in their entirety on various social networks and website. The 90-minute Celebrating America program was carried live starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and PBS.

The top-seller on Jan. 20 from the two shows was Clemons and Timberlake’s “Better Days,” which sold 13,000 downloads that day — a gain of 15,351% compared to the negligible sum it sold on Jan. 19. The song was released in December but has yet to chart on a Billboard tally. That will likely change come next week, once the new charts (dated Jan. 30, reflecting sales and streaming data for the week ending Jan. 21) are compiled and announced.

The next biggest seller from the two shows was McGraw and Hubbard’s “Undivided,” which moved 8,500 copies on Jan. 20 (up 2,272% from a little under 500 sales on Jan. 19). The tune debuted on a number of Billboard charts (dated Jan. 23) including Country Airplay at No. 19.

Black Pumas had the third-biggest selling song of the day, as “Colors” sold 4,000 — up 11,415% from a negligible figure on Jan. 19. The song is nominated for record of the year at the upcoming Grammy Awards and hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart a year ago (chart dated Feb. 15, 2020).

Other notable sellers from the two shows include Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” (3,000; up 8,716%), Withers’ “Lovely Day” (2,500; up 1,897%), New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” (1,500; up 262%), Katy Perry’s “Firework” (1,000; up 2,292%), and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber (1,000; up 1,894%). (The latter was sung in part by Fonsi, without Daddy Yankee and Bieber, during DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic segment on the Celebrating America special.)

“You Get What You Give” had already started to perk up in sales in the days leading up to the show, selling nearly 1,000 on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 combined, thanks to buzz generated by news of the act’s reunion specifically for the inauguration. In a typical day, the song sells a negligible number. The track was released in 1998 and reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in 1999.

News on any significant streaming gains for the performed songs will be reported in the coming days.

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Folk Alliance International Starts Village Fund to Aid Musicians in Need

Folk Alliance International has established The Village Fund, a grant program for folk artists and independent music industry professionals experiencing financial hardship.

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages on, folk artists have been among the hardest hit since they make their living almost exclusively through touring.

FAI, which launched in 1989 to connect the folk music community, has committed $25,000 from its reserve and hopes to raise an additional $75,000 in public support for the fund in order to initially distribute 200 grants of $500, with plans to continually replenish the fund. The Village Fund will open applications in April for FAI members and those who have participated in FAI events over the past three years. Recipients will then be drawn by lottery.

To raise additional funds, the FAI will allow donors exclusive access to FolkUnlocked showcases, a virtual music festival taking place Feb. 22-26 with more than 800 hours of performances.

The lineup features a wide range of artists, including Los Lobos, Terrence Simien, Cedric Burnside, Sawyer Fredericks, Jim Lauderdale, Keb’Mo’, Flor de Toloache and the McCrary Sister. The suggested minimum donation, to be made here, is $20.

Like other organizations, the FAI’s annual conference, slated for February, has been canceled, but it will hold its annual International Folk Music Awards as part of FolkUnlocked’s four-day virtual gathering.

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Manuel Turizo, Myke Towers & Rauw Alejandro’s ‘La Nota’ Climbs to the Top of Latin Airplay Chart

Manuel Turizo, Myke Towers and Rauw Alejandro’s “La Nota” lands atop the Latin Airplay chart, with a 3-1 climb on the Jan. 23-dated survey, completing a 14-week trek to the top.

“La Nota” was written by all three acts alongside La Industria’s CEO Juan Diego Medina and produced by Tainy. The song ascends with 12 million in audience impressions, up 10%, earned in the week ending Jan. 17, according to MRC Data.

Colombian Turizo secures his fourth Latin Airplay No. 1. He got his first with the two-week leader “Vaina Loca,” with Ozuna, in 2018. Meanwhile, both Rauw Alejandro and Towers, whose chart history began in 2019, claim their third.

Concurrently, Towers replaces himself at No. 1, as “Mi Niña,” with Los Legendarios and Wisin, ruled the Jan. 16-dated tally and earned him his first leader of 2021. The last act to do so? Maluma, when “Feel the Beat,” with the Black Eyed Peas, dethroned his own “Hawai” with The Weeknd on the Nov. 14, 2020-dated chart.

Turizo is already off to a great start in 2021, as “La Nota” pushes up the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart and breaks into the top five on the current tally with 2.2 million U.S. streams, his highest ranking since the No. 4 peak of “Vaina Loca” in 2018. Turizo also places a second title on the tally: “Mala Costumbre,” with Wisin & Yandel, debuts at No. 39.

“La Nota” concurrently leads the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. It’s also Turizo’s fourth No. 1 and Rauw Alejandro and Towers’ third there.

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Luis Fonsi ‘Immediately Said Yes’ to Performing One of Biden’s ‘Favorite Songs’ at Inauguration

When Luis Fonsi performed “Despacito” during President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration special Celebrating America on Wednesday night, it was a full-circle moment. Back in September, the 2017 global smash hit became a political trending topic on Twitter after then-presidential candidate Biden whipped out his phone at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with Fonsi and Ricky Martin in Orlando and started playing “Despacito.”

“There you go,” Fonsi told Biden. “Dance a little bit, Joe!”

This time around, Fonsi’s “Despacito” wasn’t blasted from a cell phone: He joined DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic: Inaugural Edition” to perform during the livestream, which also included fellow Puerto Rican hitmaker Ozuna’s “Taki Taki.”

“The Presidential Inaugural Committee called me over the holiday, out of the blue, to ask if I’d like to produce two ‘Pass the Mic’ segments for the televised inauguration,” DJ Cassidy tells Billboard. “They explained that because this inauguration would be different from all in the past, they wanted to connect Americans in an unprecedented way and celebrate the everyday heroes around the nation. So it made perfect sense, as I had created ‘Pass the Mic’ over the pandemic for that very reason — to celebrate my musical heroes in an effort to pay homage to the heroes on the frontlines of health, freedom and justice.”

Cassidy then reached out to Latin superstars Fonsi and Ozuna to ask if they wanted to be part of the special night.

“I immediately said yes,” Fonsi tells Billboard. “It was a true honor to be asked to be part of such a historic day, to sing in Spanish and to represent the Latino community,” adding, “I was told ‘Despacito’ is one of President Biden’s favorite songs and I’m glad I got to perform it along with DJ Cassidy.”

The upbeat celebratory set received praise on Twitter, with Cardi B and Chelsea Clinton agreeing it was a highlight of the night. “Very strong,” tweeted the “WAP” singer. “Oh my gosh! My kids are going to be so thrilled Luis Fonsi and ‘Despacito’ is part of tonight’s incredible celebration with DJ Cassidy,” Clinton shared.

DJ Cassidy kicked off his “Pass the Mic: Inaugural Edition” during the inauguration parade, featuring Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers and Kathy Sledge.

For his second segment, “I wanted to expand ‘Pass the Mic’ in both genre and era, and pass the mic to modern-day icons of Latin music. There are simply no present-day songs more iconic than ‘Despacito’ and ‘Taki Taki,’” Cassidy says. “I’ve played these records all over the globe, and I know first-hand their power in bringing people together to sing in unison, no matter your origin or language. I knew Luis and Ozuna would be the perfect artists to help me turn the inaugural primetime special into a true party.”

On Wednesday, Fonsi and Ozuna joined Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jennifer Lopez, who are both of Puerto Rican descent and were also featured throughout the inaugural events. During Celebrating America, Miranda recited “The Cure at Troy” by Seamus Heaney, while J.Lo performed a medley of “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful” during Biden and Harris’ swearing-in ceremony.

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Among Floridians granted clemency by Trump: rich elites, rappers, an elderly pot dealer

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Almost a third of Broward students faring poorly in school amid pandemic, officials say

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A customer at a Broward business raped a worker, BSO says. A video has been released

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Eviction window extended to 30 days for month-to-month renters as moratorium continues

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Mary McNamara: It took President Biden just 21 minutes to remind us who we are

After years of being labeled long-winded and loquacious, Joe Biden cut through the wreckage, quieted the cacophony and calmed the chaos, conveying the strength and endurance of the American message … Click to Continue »
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