Miami’s interim police chief spent the past three years in charge of the department’s uniform division and crime prevention teams. He oversaw SWAT, Homeland Security and the bomb squad. He … Click to Continue »
Little Maule Lake is experiencing yet another sewage leak in its waters — this time about 10,000 gallons of wastewater have seeped into the lake from a broken pipe. Authorities … Click to Continue »
Burger King has a new twist to one of its classic meals: chicken nuggets, without the chicken. The Miami-based fast-food chain’s newest menu item comes after the success the company … Click to Continue »
LOS GATOS, Calif. — A South Bay woman has been charged with hosting a series of illegal parties for her son and his friends at which investigators say she supplied … Click to Continue »
The Metallica Blacklist compilation — the all-star tribute to Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album — hits the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Oct. 16), selling 8,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 7, according to MRC Data.
It’s actually the second week on the list for the 53-track album, which was previously only available to purchase as a download. It spent one week on the list dated Sept. 25 at No. 73. The physical editions of the album, on CD and vinyl LP, were released Oct. 1. Among the artists on The Metallica Blacklist: Phoebe Bridgers, Miley Cyrus, Ghost, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Weezer and Volbeat.
The Metallica Blacklist also soars to No. 1 on the Compilation Albums chart for the first time, while also hitting new highs on Top Rock Albums (No. 12), Hard Rock Albums (No. 4) and the Billboard 200 (No. 103).
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of The Metallica Blacklist’s sales of 8,000 in the latest tracking week, physical album sales comprise effectively all of that sum. The CD edition sold about 6,300 copies while the vinyl LP edition sold nearly 1,400 copies. In Metallica’s official webstore, the four-CD set retails for $29.98 while the seven-LP vinyl collection sells for $159.98.
Also on the new Top Album Sales chart, Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) swoops back in, re-entering at No. 1 with 146,000 sold (up 15,807%). It’s the second nonconsecutive week at No. 1 for the album, which debuted atop the list dated April 24. The album surges back onto the list following its signed CD and vinyl LP release on Oct. 1.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale starts at No. 2 with 38,000 copies sold – the largest sales week for a jazz album in nearly three years. The last jazz set to sell more in a single week was Michael Bublé’s Love, in its second week of release, on the Dec. 8, 2018 chart, when it sold 56,000 copies.
Love for Sale also launches at No. 1 on both the overall Jazz Albums chart, as well as the Traditional Jazz Albums list. On the latter, its Bennett’s 15th No. 1 – breaking him out of a tie with Harry Connick, Jr. for the most No. 1s in the history of the chart.
Brandi Carlile captures her fourth top 10 on Top Album Sales, as her latest release, In These Silent Days, bows at No. 3 with 32,000 sold. It also begins at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Tastemaker Albums. The latter ranks the top-selling albums of the week at independent and small chain record stores.
Meek Mill’s Expensive Pain debuts at No. 4 on Top Album Sales (10,000 sold) while a pair of former No. 1s are next up on the list, as NCT 127’s Sticker: The 3rd Album falls 2-5 (9,000; down 37%) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is a non-mover at No. 6 (8,000; down 6%).
Billie Eilish’s former No. 1 Happier Than Ever is also stationary at No. 8 (7,500 sold; up 6%), Neil Young’s new archival release Carnegie Hall 1970 debuts at No. 9 (just over 7,000) and Metallica’s self-titled album falls 5-10 (7,000; down 20%).
Newcomer Ivan Cornejo secures his first entrance on any Billboard chart as Alma Vacía, his debut album, arrives at No. 2 on the Regional Mexican Albums tally (dated Oct. 16). The seven-track set starts in the list’s top 10 mainly on the strength of streaming activity, with 6,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Oct. 7, according to MRC Data.
“AlI can say is wow! I feel very honored and incredibly grateful,” Cornejo tells Billboard. “I’ve known of many incredible musicians that don’t get the recognition they deserve and so to be on Billboard still seems very surreal, I’m still processing it through. I feel even more motivated to work even harder now that I’ve been given this opportunity.”
With Alma’s No. 2 arrival, 17-year-old Cornejo is the latest teenager to debut in the top 10. He follows Junior H (who was 18 when Atrapado En Un Sueño also launched at No. 2 in April 2020) and Natanael Cano (also 18 when Corridos Tumbados debuted at No. 1 in November 2019). Plus, Brian Tovar, of Eslabon Armado, was only 16 when Tu Veneno Mortal opened at No. 2 on the May 16, 2020-dated list.
Alma concurrently gives the Riverside, Calif.-born singer his first Top Latin Albums visit with a No. 11 debut. The set, released Aug. 20 via Manzana Records, earned 9.4 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs in its opening week.
“The most challenging aspect of the recording process for me is probably the synchronization of instruments and vocals,” Cornejo adds. “Usually when I’m improvising and coming up with new songs, I’m in the comfort of my room just jamming with my cousin; but once we step foot in the studio, everything is more surreal and amplified mistakes can be more noticeable, and all I want to create is something perfect, that I’m proud of.”
Cornejo’s recent popularity is fueled by his strong TikTok presence. He took a first shot uploading a requinto cover of regional Mexican Esteban Gabriel’s “Hay Niveles” with immediate credit from the singer. He has since dropped Alma’s “Noche de Relajo,” “Llamadas Perdidas” and latest viral hit “Está Dañada,” which debuts at No. 7 on Hot Latin Songs and at No. 96 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and becomes the second regional Mexican hit ever on the latter chart, after Gera MX and Christian Nodal’s “Botella Tras Botella” (No. 60 in May).
Cornejo concurrently hits the global charts: “Está Dañada” arrives at No. 181 on the Global 200 ranking.
One day after Jamie Lynn Spears revealed her upcoming memoir, big sister Britney Spears had some words of her own about planning to release a book.
The Zoey 101 actress announced Monday that she would be publishing her book, titled Things I Should Have Said, on Jan. 18, 2022, via Worthy Publishing. Under the description of the book on the publisher’s official website, it reads, “She spent years escaping into different characters—on All That, Zoey 101, and even in the role as Britney’s kid sister.” “I owe it to myself, my younger self, and to my daughters to be an example that you should never edit yourself or your truth to please anyone else,” the younger Spears wrote on her Instagram. “I know I still have ALOT of learning to do, but I feel like finishing this book gave me closure on this ’30 year long’ chapter of my life, and hopefully helps anyone else out there who forgot their worth, lost their voice, or is trying to break an unhealthy cycle in their life.”
Now, Britney believes it’s her time to speak up. On Tuesday (Oct. 12), she posted a picture of herself adjusting something in her teeth before revealing her own “great news.” “I’m thinking of releasing a book next year,” the “Oops!…I Did It Again” singer wrote, adding a cheeky winking emoji with its tongue sticking out. “But I’m having issues coming up with a title so maybe my fans could help !!!! Option #1 … ‘Sh–, I really don’t know’ Option #2 … ‘I really care what people think’ !!!!’ What do you guys think ????”
Britney called out her entire family for not supporting her throughout her 13-year conservatorship in an Oct. 6-dated Instagram post. The 39-year-old pop superstar posted a picture of a blond woman lying unconscious on a mattress under water, while another woman who looks like her swims down to rescue her. She claimed the mermaid-like lady was “saving her divine feminine sister,” a perceived jab at her little sister, whom she publicly criticized before for “[showing] up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes !!!!!” At the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, Jamie performed as part of the official Britney Spears tribute by singing remixes of her big sister’s biggest hits, including “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “Circus,” and “…Baby One More Time,” alongside Kelsea Ballerini, Hailee Steinfeld and Sofia Carson.
“If you’re like my family who says things like ‘sorry, you’re in a conservatorship’ … probably thinking you’re different so they can f— with you !!!!” she captioned the post. “Thankfully I found an amazing attorney Mathew Rosengart who has helped change my life !!!!”
See Britney’s apparent response to Jamie’s new book below.
After producing more than a dozen festivals over the course of the past few months, executives with AEG Presents have decided to reverse course and allow unvaccinated fans to attend next year’s Coachella — if they can show they have tested negative for COVID-19 72 hours prior to the event.
“After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident that we can update our health policy” to allow for “negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event” or “proof of full vaccination,” the festival announced in an Instagram stories post Tuesday (Oct. 12).
In August, officials with Goldenvoice’s parent company AEG Presents announced that starting Oct. 1, fans attending events produced by the company would need to show proof of full vaccination to gain entry to events like Coachella and the country-music-focused Stagecoach festival, which takes place in the same location the weekend after Coachella.
“We have come to the conclusion that, as a market leader, it was up to us to take a real stand on vaccination status,” said AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano at the time. “Just a few weeks ago, we were optimistic about where our business, and country, were heading. The Delta variant, combined with vaccine hesitancy, is pushing us in the wrong direction again. We realize that some people might look at this as a dramatic step, but it’s the right one. We also are aware that there might be some initial pushback, but I’m confident and hopeful that, at the end of the day, we will be on the right side of history and doing what’s best for artists, fans, and live event workers.”
In explaining the surprise reversal, a spokesperson for Goldenvoice tells Billboard that the company had planned to update the policy if COVID-19 conditions improved.
Jose Arballo, the public health spokesperson in California’s Riverside County, where Coachella takes place, tells Billboard that the county follows state guidelines, which require attendees of large events to either show proof of a vaccine or a negative test result prior to entry. Arballo says event organizers can lawfully require vaccines only for entry if they want to, “as long as the entry requirements weren’t less strict than state guidelines.”
Coachella is currently slated to run April 15–17 and April 22–24, 2022 with headliners Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine (a third headliner has yet to be announced). The festival was postponed a total of three times due to the pandemic.
Musicians across the world are mourning the death of Paddy Moloney, who, as founder and leader of The Chieftains, brought traditional Irish music to all corners of the globe. The Irish Traditional Music Archive announced Moloney’s death Tuesday (Oct. 12). No cause was given.
Moloney, 83, founded The Chieftains in 1962, and in the subsequent 60 years, the group was the leading purveyor of exporting Irish music, including being the first Western musicians to perform at the Great Wall of China, according to the band’s website, as well as taking part in Roger Waters’ performance of “The Wall” in Berlin in 1990, and performing at a 9/11 memorial service at Ground Zero in New York.
“It is with great sadness to hear of the passing of my very good friend and colleague, Paddy Maloney,” renowned flautist James Galway posted on Twitter, alongside a photo of the two artists laughing together. “A man with a vision and passion on bringing traditional Irish music to the masses for which we are forever indebted to. Such wonderful memories for which I shall always cherish.”
Irish musician Imelda May tweeted, “So sad to hear of the passing of our dearest Paddy Moloney. He was ours wasn’t he. He made us all so proud of our heritage and brought such joyous energy. I’m honoured to have known and worked with not just a legend but a thoroughly lovely man.”
Moloney is considered such a national treasure that even Michael Higgins, president of Ireland, released a statement, lauding Moloney for his musicianship, but also for the role he has played in spreading Irish music around the universe.
“Paddy, with his extraordinary skills as an instrumentalist, notably the uileann pipes and bodhrán, was at the forefront of the renaissance of interest in Irish music, bringing a greater appreciation of Irish music and culture internationally,” Higgins wrote in a statement posted to his official website. “Not only as a consummate musician himself, but as a founder member of Claddagh Records together with Garech de Brún, he brought a love of Irish music not just to the diaspora, but to all those across the world who heard his music and appreciated it for its own sake as it transcended all musical boundaries.”
Ireland’s minister of tourism, Catherine Martin, also weighed in. “With the passing of Paddy Moloney, we have lost a giant of the national cultural landscape. Through the Chieftains, he brought the joy of Irish music to a global audience. His music was a source of celebration and pride for all of us. Suaimhneas síoraí dá anam.”
Though rooted in traditional Irish music, Moloney and the Chieftains were never confined by it. Following his death, footage of Moloney and the band performing with Mongolian thread singers, bluesman Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Frank Zappa emerged online, as well as photos of Moloney’s tin whistle, which NASA astronaut Cady Coleman played on the International Space Station in 2010.
Under Moloney’s guidance, the group charted on a multitude of Billboard charts, including Classical Albums, and even topping the Top Latin Albums chart for several weeks in 2010 with San Patricio, a tribute to the San Patricios, the ill-fated battalion of mostly Irish soldiers who abandoned the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 and crossed the border to fight alongside the Mexicans.
“It’s the first time I did an album almost entirely in another language,” Moloney told Billboard in 2010. “For me, language is one thing, but I go for the music. We’ve mixed Irish music with Chinese music [in the past]. I think this is a much more complete album where the Spanish has taken over. I’m a melody person and I love the structure, and I thought there was no problem whatsoever to blend it and make a fusion of our music with the Mexican music.”
Born in Donnycarney, north of Dublin, in 1938, Moloney picked up the tin whistle when he was 6 after his mother gave him the instrument. His talents were largely self-taught. He told the Irish Traditional Music Archive, “I more or less taught myself to read music. I didn’t go to Trinity and I didn’t go to UCD. [It] was all be ear. You know it was all by ear, mostly. That’s how I sort of learned most of the music, and I did my own interpretations of the tunes.”
The ITMA extolled Moloney’s musicianship on its website: “He had an extraordinary dexterity in his fingers which was evident in the execution of intricate ornamentation on both the tin whistle and the chanter of his pipes. Most traditional musicians focus predominantly on the melody. However, Paddy was exceptional in his ability and talent for improvising harmonies. The uilleann pipes were, and to a large extent, are considered a solo instrument. However, Paddy’s creative energy explored its potential as part of ensemble arrangements.”
Among the Grammy-winning group’s most popular albums in the U.S. was 2002’s Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions, which reached No. 21 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and featured the Irish group with such country artists as Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Martina McBride and Alison Krauss. The 2003 follow-up, Further Down the Old Plank Road, reached No. 28 on the chart and included collaborations with Rosanne Cash, Chet Atkins, Patty Loveless, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others.
The Chieftains’ last studio recording was 2012’s Voice of Ages, which came out on Concord in the U.S. Commemorating the group’s 50th anniversary, the album found them collaborating with a number of contemporary artists, including Bon Iver and The Decemberists.
The Chieftains’ last show, according to NPR, was an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Philadelphia in 2020 before the pandemic led to them canceling the rest of their tour.
Charles Burkett wants to know why. Why did half of Champlain Towers South crumble on June 24? Why did the deadliest residential building failure in modern U.S. history happen in … Click to Continue »
