Month: March 2022

BMW recalls more than 900,000 vehicles over engine fire risk

Post author By Staff
Post date March 10, 2022
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German car manufacturer BMW announced Wednesday that they are recalling more than 900,000 vehicles to fix a problem that could start a fire in the engine because the heater for the positive crank case ventilation valve may short circuit.

The recall applies to 917,000 cars and SUVs in the United States. It applies to a number of different models, between the 2006 and 2013 model years, including several X5, X3, Z4, 3 Series, 5 Series and 1 Series.

This is the third recall for many of the vehicles over the same engine ventilation issue. BMW issued recalls for the same part in 2017 and 2019 and then expanded the recall to include 2012 and 2013 models. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show BMW expects around 1% of the recalled vehicles to have a problem.

BMW said it will begin notifying affected owners in April, and that anyone with one of the models in question can enter the Vehicle Identification Number online to see if the recall is applicable.

Editorial credit: NothingIsEverything / Shutterstock.com

News Daypop

Ukraine children’s hospital destroyed by Russian bombs in Mariupoc

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Post date March 10, 2022
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A maternity and children’s hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been destroyed by Russian air strikes, officials say. Regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said that at least 17 people were wounded, including women in labor. Russia’s bombing of the maternity hospital again prompted Ukraine’s leader to again demand the world help. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter to rebuke Western allies’ refusal to institute a no-fly zone over the area to combat Russian fighter jets, saying: “People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity”

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victim from the hospital at the coastal city of Mariupol — where bodies are piling up so fast that locals have begun burying them in mass graves. Regional police official, Volodymir Nikulin, said of the bombing: “Today Russia committed a huge crime. It is a war crime without any justification.” The airstrike occurred during what was supposed to be a regional cease-fire in the already “apocalyptic’’ city to allow safe evacuations of thousands of innocent residents. However, Russian troops have repeatedly violated their pledge to stop attacks along the safety corridors, and local officials in Mariupol are now using mass graves to bury some of the thousands they say have been killed in “pure genocide.’’

While Ukraine insisted that Russian forces deliberately targeted the hospital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed Wednesday, “Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets.” However when asked about the issue at a separate briefing, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said, “Obviously that’s a horrific outcome. regardless of whether it was intentional or not. If it’s true — we have no reason to doubt that it’s true — we just can’t independently verify, it’s just another indicator of the supreme sacrifices that the Ukrainian people are making that they shouldn’t have to make. We’re talking, you know, families, children, killed, wounded, displaced, all of it, all of it avoidable. All of it completely avoidable.”

Editorial credit: SV_zt / Shutterstock.com

Go Country 105

Does HARDY know something we don't about Florida Georgia Line's hiatus?

Post author By abookbinder
Post date March 10, 2022
No Comments on Does HARDY know something we don't about Florida Georgia Line's hiatus?

HARDY accepted his Songwriter of the Year trophy at the ACM Awards on Monday night, and he made sure to thank all the artists who've helped him get to where he is today: Dierks Bentley, Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett, to name a few.

“There have been so many,” HARDY emphasized. But the very first people to take a chance on him were Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, as country duo Florida Georgia Line.

“I was nobody then, I truly was. I had nothing going on,” he remembers. “I was writing songs, but they were the ones who were like, You're doing something cool.'”

But it was another sentiment HARDY had to share about FGL that made press do a double take backstage at the ACMs: “It started with FGL. RIP,” he said.

Sure, the superstar duo announced recently that they're taking a break, but “RIP”? They haven't shared anything that final about their status as a group with the public. Of course, it's possible HARDY could have just been making an offhand comment about their break — but it could also be the case that he knows something we don't about FGL's plans, or lack thereof, for an eventual return.

After all, as HARDY says, he and the guys from FGL are close. He's written many songs for them and is a guest vocalist on “Y'all Boys,” off their 2019 Can't Say I Ain't Country album.

Whatever might be in the future for FGL, it seems likely that HARDY's star will continue to rise. Not only is he an increasingly hot artist himself, he's also continued to write for other country stars' projects, and has become so in-demand that it feels “surreal,” he says.

HARDY released his full-length debut, A Rock, in September 2020.

Country Daypop

Kacey Musgraves to receive Vanguard Award at 33rd GLAAD Media Awards

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Post date March 10, 2022
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GLAAD has announced that Kacey Musgraves will receive the Vanguard Award at the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, to be held at the Beverly Hilton on April 2. GLAAD’s Vanguard Award is presented to allies who have made significant impacts in advocating for LGBTQ people; previous Vanguard Award honorees include Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Kerry Washington, Cher and Antonio Banderas.

Musgraves has vocally supported the LGBTQ community and advanced conversations about LGBTQ acceptance in country music. She recently joined GLAAD and Equality Texas to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in the Texas state legislature. GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis shined a light on Musgraves’ efforts, saying: “From speaking out about anti-LGBTQ legislation in her home state of Texas, to raising awareness about bullying affecting LGBTQ youth, to uplifting the work of LGBTQ artists, Kacey continues to raise the bar for what it means to be an authentic ally and to inspire her fans to do the same.”

The 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards will also feature special guests including JoJo Siwa, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Nico Santos, Zeke Smith, “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider and cast members of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Country Daypop

Kelly Clarkson reaches divorce settlement with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock

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Post date March 10, 2022
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According to reports, Kelly Clarkson has reached a divorce settlement with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. A judge in L.A. Superior Court has signed off on the terms of the divorce, which awards Clarkson primary custody of the couple’s children, River Rose and Remington Alexander. Blackstock will have the children once a month while he continues to live at their ranch in Montana until June 1st; he will reportedly pay $12,500 a month in rent while he lives at the ranch. Blackstock is a former talent agent, who claims he is switching careers to become a full-time rancher.

Blackstock will also receive financial support from Clarkson. He will receive $115,000 a month in spousal support until January 2024. Clarkson will also pay him $1.3 million as part of the divorce settlement, and he will receive another $45,600 a month in child support to cover the costs he’ll incur when he has visitation with their children.

Blackstock and Clarkson were married in October of 2013; Clarkson filed for divorce in June of 2020. In July of 2021, a judge ordered Clarkson to pay Blackstock $150,000 in spousal support and $45,601 in child support each month temporarily until a final divorce settlement was in place. In January of 2022, Clarkson and Blackstock reached an agreement in which she gave him just over five percent of the Montana ranch, which is where he’s been living since the news of their divorce.

Kelly Clarkson Finalizes Divorce With Brandon Blackstock & He Is Getting PAID (She’s Keeping The Guns Though)

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Pop Daypop

Jack Harlow to star in the remake of “White Men Can’t Jump”

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Post date March 10, 2022
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Rapper Jack Harlow will be starring in a remake of the classic 1992 basketball film ‘White Men Can’t Jump,’ marking the 23-year-old’s first-ever film role.

In the new take on “White Men Can’t Jump,” Harlow will play the role of Billy Hoyle (portrayed by Woody Harrelson portrayed in the original film). Written and directed by Ron Shelton, the original film starred Wesley Snipes and Harrelson as street basketball hustlers who begin at odds with each other and then team up for a bigger game. The filmmakers are currently in the process of finding the actor to fill the role originated by Snipes, and are also auditioning actors to portray Harlow’s character’s longtime girlfriend, an aspiring “Jeopardy” contestant played by Rosie Perez in the 1992 film.

Charles Kidd II (known professionally as Calmatic) will direct the reboot, taken from a script by “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris and Doug Hall. NBA star forward Blake Griffin will serve as executive producer alongside Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein through their label, Mortal Media.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Pop Daypop

Eminem becomes top certified singles artist in RIAA history

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Post date March 10, 2022
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Eminem has broken the record for most Gold & Platinum singles in RIAA History. RIAA has announced 73.5 new certified units for Eminem, and the new certifications make it 166 million total career single awards for the artist.

Eminem is also now the RIAA top certified artist with a total of 227.5 million units, which includes 166 million singles and 61.5 million album units. Along with that, Eminem’s greatest hits album “Curtain Call: The Hits” goes Diamond after moving 10 million copies. The album, released in 2005, includes Eminem’s greatest tracks like “My Name Is”, “Stan”, “Lose Yourself”, “Without Me”, “The Real Slim Shady” and more. Last month, the album saw a major jump on Billboard charts as it returned to the top 10 with moving over 31k units. Recently, the album also becomes the first Hip Hop act to have a project hit 500 weeks on the albums charts in the UK.

RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement: “These awards recognize Eminem’s unflinching commitment to his craft and the enduring connection he has forged with fans over the last 20 years. Congratulations to Eminem and his entire label team who have set the bar higher than ever.”

Eminem ‘Curtain Call’ Goes Diamond; Rapper Becomes Highest Certified Singles Artist in RIAA History

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Go Country 105

Nashville notes

Miranda Lambert's MuttNation Foundation continues to support shelter pets across the country: The organization recently donated $250,000 in total, with a $5,000 donation to a shelter in each state, and Washington D.C., plus one “Wildcard” donation.

Parmalee, Blanco Brown and Brooke Eden released a studio version of their “Just the Way,” which they debuted on the ACM Awards stage. The song was initially a chart-topping duo between Parmalee and Blanco. The new version is available only on Amazon Music.

Randy Houser is teasing that new music is on the way: His song “Note to Self” will be out this Friday.

Go Country 105

Carly Pearce is looking ahead to her next record: “I've started to write new songs”

Post author By abookbinder
Post date March 9, 2022
No Comments on Carly Pearce is looking ahead to her next record: “I've started to write new songs”

No album in Carly Pearce's career has brought her quite as many accolades as her 2021 release 29: Written in Stone, an intimate, revealing journey that sees her coming into her own as a country traditionalist and opening up about a difficult couple of years in her personal life.

Fans were drawn to Carly's vulnerability in the title track, which chronicles her very public divorce from Michael Ray, and they found their own stories in “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” a duet with Ashley McBryde.

The industry took notice, too: Carly has racked up awards and accolades — including, most recently, two trophies at the 2022 ACMs — plus she was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry and she was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.

It'll be a tough record to follow up, but Carly's already got some ideas about where she's headed next. At the ACMs this week, the singer told ET Online that she's started work on her next chapter.

“I've started to write new songs, and just started to kind of figure out what the next record is,” Carly explained. “And I'm really excited about what we're getting.”

In the meantime, Carly is still on the road on her The 29 Tour, which wraps in April. Next up, she'll join Kenny Chesney on his Here and Now Tour.

Go Country 105

“A little less pregnant this time,” Maren Morris returns to RodeoHouston

Post author By abookbinder
Post date March 9, 2022
No Comments on “A little less pregnant this time,” Maren Morris returns to RodeoHouston

Maren Morris returned to the Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show on Tuesday night, playing a set that featured new songs off her upcoming Humble Quest album, such as “Circles Around This Town.”

She took the stage in a bedazzled black bustier and fringed jacket — and that fringe, it turns out, is one of the only things her look had in common with her outfit during her first RodeoHouston appearance, in March 2020. Maren was nine months pregnant then and just two weeks away from giving birth to her son, Hayes.

Maren has posted a set of compare-and-contrast photos to social media, with her baby bump being the dominant accessory at her 2020 show.

“It was easier to sing this time,” Maren joked of her most recent Rodeo gig.

Maren also nodded to her 2020 set while onstage, telling the crowd that she was “a little less pregnant this time,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

Hayes turns two later this month, and the singer recently shared that she wrote a song for him on Humble Quest, called “Hummingbird.” The new album arrives March 25 — just two days after Hayes' birthday.