Archives: Episodes

ABC/Randy HolmesJimmy Kimmel kicked off his week-long stand at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with a literally towering musical performance from Eminem — atop the Empire State Building.

The rapper performed his single “Venom” in an exclusive video shot in the lobby of, then in the elevator of the historic building, crowning the performance on the historic observation deck.

Along the way, however, there was a pause for some comedy, when his mic allegedly cut out, and he met Kimmel’s beloved security guard Guillermo — doing double duty as an elevator man. “Come here a lot?” Em asked Guillermo, who responded, “No, I’m from L.A.” 

Em then recommends the exhibit on the 80th floor. Then offers the tourist: “This building was designed by a guy named William Lamb. It only took him like 410 days to build it. Crazy right?”

“Wow,” Guilermo says. “Yeah, wow,” Eminem responds.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Plus 1 Music Group/21 Entertainment/Entertainment OneTwenty years after releasing her self-titled debut album in 1998, Tamia is proud to continue her career into a third decade with her new album, Passion Like Fire.

“I certainly feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to maintain a career,” the six-time Grammy nominee tells ABC Radio. “Passion Like Fire is on my own label. Although I’ve written songs my entire career, I’ve written the most on this album. So there’s some sort of personal growth things that I’m excited about and proud about over the last 20 years, and I think that’s important to be sort of in control of your own art.”

Passion Like Fire is Tamia’s fourth album on her own label, Plus One Music Group. The first single, “Leave It Smokin,’ which she co-wrote, is currently number three on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart after nearly six months.

The Canadian artist feels that social media is one of the factors that has allowed her to keep on reaching fans with her music.

“One of the best parts is that we live in a space now with technology and the Internet that you’re able to connect directly with your fans,” Tamia says. “When I didn’t have marketing, when I don’t have the top shows to be on, my fans have supported me throughout my career, and without them I wouldn’t have one.” 

Tamia is currently out on her Passion Like Fire tour which runs through October 26, wrapping up in New York City,

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC ImagesChance the Rapper admits he was nervous at his engagement party over the weekend.

“I have slight goosebumps. I’m at MY engagement party surrounded by my family and best friends and the woman I need,” he tweeted.

“I feel so honored and God just real talk has a plan for me and like I just needed to let him guide me real talk Just had to share that,” he added.  The rapper also posted an Instagram photo with his fiancée, Kirsten Corley.

The couple got engaged on the 4^th of July during a barbecue in Chicago. Chance and Kirsten have a two-year old daughter, Kensli Bennett.

The three-time Grammy-winner also helped raise money for Chicago’s school system as a Lyft driver, according to Page Six. He picked up a passengers while wearing a disguise, identified himself as “John,” and had fun dropping hints about his true identity. He also encouraged riders to use the Lyft Round Up & Donate app feature to donate money to their favorite charity.

In March, Chance pledged one million dollars to the Chicago Public Schools system. Last week, he pledged a million dollars to fund mental health services in the city.

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ABC/Image Group LADJ Khaled once again treated his son Asahd like a king with a spectacular second birthday party Saturday night in Miami.

Asahd’s gifts included a miniature Ferrari, and a matching stroller, People.com reports. The bash, held in Marlins Park baseball stadium, featured a petting zoo, carnival rides, games, arts and crafts exhibits, and a special Asahd Khaled Brand Jordan Collection fashion show, according to Billboard. 

Yo Gotti was among the guests, and former New York Yankee baseball star Derek Jeter, now CEO of the Miami Marlins, presented Khaled with a $100,000 check for his We The Best Foundation.  More than 250 local kids were also invited to join the party.

At the party, Khaled announced a new charity initiative named after his son. The Asahd Initiative will provide financial support for children, primarily in the Miami area.

“My son is the greatest gift of life,” Khaled told People. “Our children are the world’s biggest blessing, so I am so grateful to be able to celebrate his life with a carnival and to be hosting many inner-city kids and their families so everyone in our community can experience joy today…together in our hometown of Miami.”

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David M. Russell | Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV DistributionQueen Latifah was set to receive the Marian Anderson Award in Philadelphia at this year’s annual ceremonies, but according to organizers the event will now have be to rescheduled.

“The Marian Anderson Award will be rescheduling its 2018 Marian Anderson Award Gala originally scheduled for November 20, as Queen Latifah is unable to accept this year due to personal reasons,” write the organizers. “We look forward to honoring her in the future.”

The award honors critically acclaimed artists who have impacted society in a positive way, whether through their work or their support for an important cause.

Queen Latifah was expected to join the ranks of past recipients that include Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle. She would also become the youngest-ever recipient.

Born Dana Owens, Latifah won a Grammy for her 1994 album Black Reign and earned an Oscar nomination for her role in 2002’s Chicago.

The organization says “a new date and other details will be announced shortly. Single tickets for the November 20 Gala Concert will be honored on the new date.”

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Daniel Zuchnik/WireImageSolange’s much anticipated follow-up to her 2016 breakthrough album, A Seat at the Table, will be released later this fall. 

“There is a lot of jazz at the core,” Solange tells the New York Times about her new music. “But with electronic and hip-hop drum and bass because I want it to bang and make your trunk rattle.”

Beyoncé’s younger sister didn’t reveal the album’s name. She did admit she’s nervous about the response to her new music.

“I have this fear living in my body about releasing work,” Solange says. “I don’t know any artist that doesn’t feel that before they hit the send button.”

The new project will be Solange’s fourth studio album. She won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for “Cranes in the Sky,” which was the only single released from A Seat at the Table.

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ABC/Image Group LAAfter celebrating her 26th birthday, Cardi B is teasing that she wants another baby.

The “I Like It” rapper tweeted, “Would ya be mad at me if i get pregnant again?” Twitter erupted with divided responses,

One followers replied, “We want a TOUR, not Kulture 2.” Another follower wrote, “No. Long as you’re pregnant…with AN ALBUM.” Several people asked to see photos of her baby Kulture, who is now three months old.

Last week was special for Cardi: She won three American Music Awards, then her husband Offset was treated to a surprise birthday party Friday night at the restaurant Beauty & Essex in L.A.

She posted a video of the two of them arriving at the restaurant with the comment, “The fact that i avoided eating dinner last night cause babe said we was going to a romantic dinner then BOOM!! Thank you everybody that showed up to my surprise bday party !It was Soo beautiful Thank you babe for the surprise and everybody who was involved!”

Offset presented his wife with a diamond necklace and matching bracelet, according to E! Online. The necklace spells out the letters, “KULTURE” and cost between $250,000 and $300,000. He previously surprised her with a Lamborghini SUV.

Tyga, Kourtney Kardashian, and G-Eazy were among the party guests enjoying Cardi-themed drinks, including the “Bardi Martini,” “Black Rose,” “#26,” and the “Okurrr.” 

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Republic RecordsDrake has publicly ended his feud with Chris Brown.  The two appeared on stage together Friday night during the Aubrey and the Three Migos concert at Staples Center in LA.

Drake introduced Breezy, who performed “Party” from his latest album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon. Drizzy later posted a photo on Instagram of them together on stage, with the comment, “This is not a fan edit.  Last time I was on stage with Breezy was 2009 at Virginia Commonwealth University…tonight I got to reconnect with him for the first night at Staples! I love a good full circle moment. Thank you.”

For his part, Brown posted a video of the performance on his Instagram with the caption, “2 KINGZ!” He also captioned a photo with Drake, “DOUBLE DRAGONS.” 

You may remember that in 2012, Drake and Brown were involved in a bottle-throwing incident at a New York City nightclub that left eight people injured, including NBA star Tony Parker.

Brown wasn’t the only celebrity to grace the stage for the Aubrey and The Three Migos Tour at Staples Center.  Saturday, Travis Scott  performed “Sicko Mode” and was joined by LeBron James. Then on Sunday, Cardi B  performed “Motorsport” with her husband, Migos member Offset, along with fellow Migos members Quavo and Takeoff.

The tour now heads to The Forum in nearby Inglewood, CA, for four more shows beginning Tuesday.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Kevin Estrada 

Two years after the passing of Prince, his most famous backing band, The Revolution, is paying tribute to his legacy with a new tour.  

The Revolution starred with Prince in 1984’s Purple Rain. In addition to recording the Academy Award-winning album, they performed with Prince on his worldwide Purple Rain tour and were featured on his 1986 album, Around the World in a Day.  

Bassist Brown Mark remembers that when Prince died on April 21, 2016, the band wasn’t ready to perform his music.

“In the very beginning it was like, ‘No,'” he tells ABC Radio. However, after grieving, the band members agreed that they should go on tour. “We didn’t know when or how we were going to pull it off, but we knew that we needed to give the fans something,” Mark remembers.

Meanwhile, keyboardist Dr. Fink says the musicians were devastated by the passing of their former leader.

“The emotional part, very difficult for all of us,” he recalls. “Shocking, and just like losing a close family member, and the decision to reunite to perform didn’t take very long.”

In addition to Mark on bass, and Dr. Fink on keyboards, the band also features guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman and drummer Bobby Z.

Mark invites all the Prince fans to join them on tour.  

“Get your voice warmed up so you don’t lose it, and prepare to have a time warp experience, ’cause we’re gonna take you back to the ’80s when we were on the peak,” he says. 

Following two shows last week in New York City, and a concert on Sunday at the Austin City Limits Festival in Texas, The Revolution will perform on October 26 in Silver Springs, Maryland; October 27 in Boston; and October 28 in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Tim Bradbury/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — USA Gymnastics just can’t seem to get out of its own way when it comes to establishing new leadership.

The honeymoon lasted just one day for USA Gymnastics interim President Mary Bono, who was appointed on Friday and came under fire from the sport’s biggest star on Saturday.

Simone Biles, a four-time Olympics gold medalist and the only woman in history with 10 World Championship golds, responded to a tweet by Bono from earlier this year in which she posted a photo of her drawing over the Nike swoosh logo on a pair of shoes in protest of the company using Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign.

Biles responded with “mouth drop” before saying, “Don’t worry, it’s not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything.”

Bono deleted the tweet hours later and issued an apology.

“I regret the post and respect everyone’s views & fundamental right to express them,” she tweeted. “This doesn’t reflect how I will approach my position @USAGym I will do everything I can to help build, w/ the community, an open, safe & positive environment.

“Hey all, I know the Tweet will live on but have taken it down to move the focus to all I hope to accomplish on behalf of a great sport & those who are dedicated to it,” she added. “I look forward to telling my gymnastics story, my vision for the future of the sport and why I wanted the job.”

Bono, a Republican, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 to 2013 in California’s 44th and 45th districts. She replaced her late husband, singer and entertainer Sonny Bono, after he died in a skiing accident.

Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, riled Republicans — including President Donald Trump — over the past two years for taking a knee during the national anthem before games as a protest against the treatment of minorities by police. Nike chose Kaepernick as the new face of an advertising campaign prior to the start of this year’s NFL season.

Biles signed with Nike in November 2015. She is one of several prominent team members sponsored by Nike, including fellow 2016 Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, who announced she will be returning to competition last week.

Bono’s blunder, an apology 24 hours into her tenure, is just the latest in a cavalcade of errors by USA Gymnastics, the Olympic sport’s governing body. Bono was installed, at least temporarily, as a replacement for Kerry Perry, who was forced out in September after just nine months in charge.

Perry’s tenure was marked by a series of missteps over the handling of the Larry Nassar case and criticism from victims abused by the former physician over Perry’s lack of transparency about how the organization planned to protect athletes going forward.

The resignation came just days after she hired Mary Lee Tracy as USA Gymnastics’ women’s elite development coordinator. Tracy is a longtime gymnastics coach who had voiced support for Nassar after he was arrested in 2016 on sex-abuse charges, which brought immediate condemnation from star gymnast Aly Raisman.

USA Gymnastics’ entire board was forced out by the U.S. Olympic Committee earlier this year in the wake of Nassar’s conviction for sexual assault.

Bono told The Associated Press in an interview in November 2017 that she was the subject of repeated sexual harassment by an unnamed House colleague while serving as a congresswoman.

The search for a permanent replacement for Perry is ongoing.

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