Yung Gravy gets completely candid with us about what he does to prepare before going on stage.
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“A celebration of life fit for a true queen of country music.” The legendary Loretta Lynn will be celebrated in a two-hour, star-studded tribute special premiering on CMT on Sunday (Oct. 30).
Cole Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of Life & Music of Loretta Lynn is set to air live from the Grand Ole Opry House at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m CT. Jenna Bush Hager will host the commercial-free special featuring performances and appearances from Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and other stars.
Lynn died in her sleep at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. on Oct. 4. The country music veteran was 90.
“We are truly honored to work closely alongside Loretta’s family to create a celebration of life fit for a true queen of country music, Loretta Lynn,” CMT producers said in a statement. “She was a true original, a woman who always sang from her heart, never shied away from challenging the status quo, and blazed the path forward for her fellow female artists. From her firecracker spirit and signature musicality to her unmistakable country style and unparalleled authenticity, we look forward to honoring her in the best way we know how: sharing stories and songs with her family, friends and the legions of fans she loved dearly.”
The memorial tribute will feature special messages from Parton, Musgraves, Lambert, Reba, and Sissy Spacek. Performers include Jackson, Urban, Rucker, Brandi Carlile, George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Little Big Town, Margo Price, Wynonna with Gaither Vocal Band and Larry Strickland, and The Highwomen with Brittney Spencer. Lynn’s granddaughter, Emmy Russell will perform with Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson.
Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Sheryl Crow, and Hoda Kotb are among the presenters.
How to Watch A Cole Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Loretta Lynn
Cole Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of Life & Music of Loretta Lynn will air exclusively on CMT at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.
For those who might miss the first showing, two, commercial-free encores are slated to air on CMT on Wednesday (Nov. 2) at 8 p.m. ET and next Sunday (Nov. 6) at 11 a.m. ET.
You can watch CMT without cable on Philo, Sling TV, Direct TV Stream, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Fios TV, and Hulu + Live TV. If you have cable, satellite or live TV through one of the aforementioned platforms or another provider, watch the celebration on CMT, CMT.com or stream on the CMT app (stream from outside of the U.S. with ExpressVPN).
In addition to the TV broadcast, Cole Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of Life & Music of Loretta Lynn will broadcast on SiriusXM’s Wille’s Roadhouse: Willie Nelson’s Classic Country (channel 59). The tribute special will arrive on Paramount+ early next year.
Frank Ocean is launching his brand-new Homer Radio with Apple Music 1. The one-hour show is set for Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET.
“Someone’s vacuuming the carpets adding a distant layer of white noise to the sound,” Ocean said in a cryptic statement about the show. “Security is pacing off some boredom while pretending to check the rooms and the safes on a rehearsed patrol. A headset loaded with gadgetry helps a man who dons it to see, with its grids of light and lenses and loupes.”
The singer/songwriter’s show shares a name with his Homer jewelry line, which the artist founded in August 2021. The name is inspired by the Greek poet, Ocean said the in an interview with Financial Times.
While Ocean’s fans are finally receiving a project from him in the radio show, the singer is known for his long breaks from both music and the public. His last album, Blonde, was released in 2016, while his most recent songs are “DHL,” “Cayendo” and “Dear April.”
It seems like Ocean is meshing the radio show with his years-old jewelry line. The launch of the show accompanied a post on the company’s Instagram page, set against a background image of the hustle and bustle of a city.
In addition to a lack of music, there’s been a lot made of Ocean’s lack of performances too. The singer has been vocal about how his mental health struggles have impacted his desire to perform onstage. But he does have at least two dates on the calendar next year: back-to-back weekends as a Coachella 2023 headliner.
Xscape is set to receive the Lady of Soul honor at the 2022 Soul Train Awards. The Georgia quartet is just the second group to receive the honor, following SWV in 2017. These two groups squared off in one of the most-viewed Verzuz specials to date.
Hosted by actor, comedian and writer Deon Cole, the 2022 Soul Train Awards premieres Sunday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET Her.
The foursome — “Kandi” Burruss-Tucker, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, and sisters Tamika Scott and LaTocha Scott – amassed six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1990s, topped by “Just Kickin’ It,” which reached No. 2 in 1993. Their other top 10 jams were “Understanding,” “Who Can I Run To?,” “The Arms of the One Who Loves You,” “My Little Secret” and MC Lyte’s “Keep On, Keepin’ On,” on which they were featured.
The group had three consecutive platinum albums — Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha, Off the Hook, and Traces of My Lipstick. They also appeared on the soundtracks of The Mask, Big Momma’s House, Hardball, Love Jones, and Soul Food. Their music has been sampled by the likes of 21 Savage, Summer Walker, Anderson .Paak, The Game and Trey Songz.
After launching solo careers, Xscape returned on The Great Xscape Tour in 2017. They also starred in the BRAVO series Xscape Still Kickin’ It and appeared on Mary J. Blige’s inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival.
“Xscape is one of the most notable R&B supergroups of all time,” Connie Orlando, EVP specials, music programming & music strategy, said in a statement. “Their powerful vocal harmonies laid the foundation for ‘90s R&B and some of today’s chart-topping hits. Their sound is undeniably unique and masterful. We look forward to honoring these multi-talented artists collectively on R&B’s biggest stage, Soul Train Awards.”
“Given how important Soul Train is to all of us, we’re so thankful to be honored with the ‘Lady of Soul’ Award this year,” the members of Xscape said in a statement. “It’s going to be an amazing night, and we can’t wait to see you all there.”
BET Soul will dedicate a full hour to Xscape music videos on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. ET.
The other recipients of the Lady of Soul award since it was introduced in 2015, besides SWV and Xscape, have been solo personalities – Jill Scott, Brandy, Faith Evans, Yolanda Adams, Monica and last year’s recipient, Ashanti.
Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige lead the 2022 Soul Train Awards nominations with seven nods each. Ari Lennox follows with six nods. Lizzo and Chris Brown are tied at five nods each, followed by Burna Boy, Muni Long and Steve Lacy with four nods. Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, PJ Morton and Tems each garnered three nominations.
Orlando will oversee the annual show and executive produce for BET with Jamal Noisette, the network’s VP, specials & music programming. Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, will also serve as executive producer, along with Jeannae Rouzan-Clay and Dionne Harmon, two of the top executives in that company.
To celebrate the opening night of previews for the original Broadway musical & Juliet on Friday (Oct. 28), the complete cast recording is now available on streaming services. The album features a brand new version of Kelly Clarkson‘s 2004 hit “Since U Been Gone” performed by the show’s star Lorna Courtney along with Clarkson herself.
& Juliet is set to open at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York City on November 17 and features songs by the legendary and Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Max Martin. In addition to “Since U Been Gone,” the track listing also features pop anthems like Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life,” Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is,” Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and many more.
The show reimagines the classic Shakespeare play Romeo & Juliet, picturing what life would have been like for Juliet had she not ended it for Romeo. Tickets for & Juliet start at $79 and are available through andjulietbroadway.com.
Upon its release, Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The singer said of her Breakaway hit in a 2020 interview, “I love what the song does for people, I love that it was very different in demo form sent to me. Behind the scenes, it was not so fun to record because of situations I won’t talk about, because I won’t sell people out.”
“But I will say, my favorite memory, if I’m being more positive about it, was the fact that I got to show up to a video shoot and completely trash an apartment, and that was my job,” she continued. “That video was possibly one of my favorite videos ever to make, because literally I just got to just have rage, and just break stuff all day long.”
Listen to Courtney and Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” below.