Month: February 2023

Madame Tussauds announced on Tuesday (Feb. 7) that Rihanna is receiving a new wax figure at its New York City museum.

The wax recreation is modeled after the superstar’s iconic ensemble from the 2018 Met Gala, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” As a co-chair alongside Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace and Amal Clooney, RiRi walked ascended the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a stunning, beaded corset minidress and matching robe by Margiela. In a nod to the A-list event’s religious theme, she paired the couture with a papal bishop’s hat and ostentatious crucifix necklace.

Rihanna’s latest lookalike will be unveiled in the Glow Gala Room of Madame Tussauds New York — Times Square on Wednesday (Feb. 8), and will fit right into the neon-themed room thanks to the LED lights hidden throughout the figure’s outfit.

The planned reveal comes just days before the Oscar nominee is set to take the stage for her highly anticipated halftime show during Super Bowl LVII. The performance will mark her first official return to the stage in the more than seven years since she released her last studio album — 2016’s Anti.

“Rihanna is sure to make history with her upcoming live show this Sunday so the timing is perfect for us to reveal her new figure exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York where fans can admire and pose with the icon,” said Madame Tussauds New York general manager Joerg Hanel in a statement.

According to a release, another Rihanna wax figure is scheduled to be added to Madame Tussauds Orlando some time later this year, and will be wearing her outfit from the Super Bowl.

Get a first look at Rihanna’s Met Gala-inspired wax figure below.

Ahead of its release, Morgan Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time has already rung up seven top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Wallen released a trio of tracks from the set on Jan. 31 and, of those, “Last Night” launches the highest — at No. 7 — on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based survey (dated Feb. 11).

The album is due March 3 and will sport 36 songs, including nine released so far.

“Last Night” drew 11.8 million U.S. streams and sold 8,000 downloads in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Luminate. It arrives atop Country Digital Song Sales, awarding Wallen his ninth No. 1. It opens at No. 3 on Country Streaming Songs, marking his 19th top 10.

On Hot Country Songs, Wallen banks his 18th top 10. Here’s a rundown of the seven songs, including three No. 1s, already released from One Thing at a Time that have hit the chart’s top 10. All seven have also debuted at their peak ranks:

The two other tracks released Jan. 31 from One Thing at a Time, “I Wrote the Book” and “Everything I Love,” start at Nos. 16 and 18, respectively, on Hot Country Songs. “Book” corralled 6.7 million streams and sold 5,000, while “Love” drew 6.3 million clicks and sold 3,000.

Next week’s Feb. 18-dated charts will reflect the first full tracking week (Feb. 3-9) for each of the three tracks released Jan. 31.

Meanwhile, Wallen’s prior LP, the 30-song Dangerous: The Double Album, leads Top Country Albums for a record-extending 93rd week, with 42,000 equivalent album units (up 5%). The set has also generated seven Hot Country Songs top 10s.

Bryan Leads, Debuts

Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” dominates Hot Country Songs for a sixth week. Plus, “Dawns,” his collaboration with Maggie Rogers, debuts at No. 13. Released Jan. 27, the latter drew 10 million streams through Feb. 2.

The pair co-wrote “Dawns,” which marks fellow singer-songwriter Rogers’ first country chart entry. She boasts three No. 1s, among five top 10s, on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart.

Hubbard Dances In

Tyler Hubbard posts his first top 10 as a soloist on Top Country Albums, as his self-titled debut LP starts at No. 8 with 15,000 equivalent album units. He co-penned all 18 songs on the set. Florida Georgia Line – the duo comprising Hubbard and Brian Kelley – has tallied four No. 1 albums among seven top 10s.

The set’s new single, “Dancin’ in the Country,” jumps 30-24 on Country Airplay with a 37% increase to 5.3 million impressions. It also drew 3.8 million streams and ranks at a new No. 26 high on Hot Country Songs. Lead single “5 Foot 9” led Country Airplay and hit No. 5 on Hot Country Songs.

King ‘Get’s Started

Meanwhile, Elle King’s Come Get Your Wife begins at No. 11 on Top Country Albums (13,000 units). She co-penned eight of the 13 songs on the set, which she co-produced with Ross Copperman.

The album’s current single “Worth a Shot,” featuring Dierks Bentley, ranks at No. 45 on both Country Airplay (1.8 million impressions, up 6%) and Hot Country Songs, as it also logged 2.2 million streams (up 14%). First single “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” with Miranda Lambert, led Country Airplay and reached No. 6 on Hot Country Songs.

The new LP follows King’s Love Stuff and Shake the Spirit, which hit Nos. 3 and 9 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards will be held on Sunday, May 7, at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. That’s about a month ahead of last year’s show, which was held at the same venue on June 5.

This will be the 31st edition of the show and the sixth to jointly honor movies and TV. Two years ago, MTV broke the show in two and presented awards for film and scripted television on one night and awards for reality television the following night. It didn’t work as well and the two components were rejoined last year. They will again be joined this year.

Host, honorees, performers, presenters and additional details about this year’s show will be announced later.

Vanessa Hudgens and Tayshia Adams were hosts of last year’s show, with Hudgens hosting the first half for film and scripted television series, and Adams hosting the second half for awards in reality television. Special awards went to Jennifer Lopez (Generation Award), Jack Black (Comedic Genius Award) and Bethenny Frankel (MTV Reality Royalty Award).

Spider Man: No Way Home won for best movie last year and its star, Tom Holland, won for best performance in a movie. Euphoria won for best [TV] show and its star, Zendaya won for best performance in a show.

Executive producers for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards are MTV’s Bruce Gillmer, Wendy Plaut and Vanessa Whitewolf. Jackie Barba and Alicia Portugal are executives in charge of production and Lisa Lauricella serves as the music talent executive.

Charlie Thomas, singer for The Drifters, died at age 85 on Jan. 31, his friend Peter Lemongello Jr. confirmed to The New York Times on Monday (Feb. 6).

According to Lemongello, Thomas died as a result of liver cancer, but regularly kept up with his physical activities until his condition started deteriorating.

“He was aging, but he was active almost every weekend,” Lemongello, former singer for The Crests, told the newspaper. “Unfortunately, he went from being active to being at home and he started going downhill.”

Thomas became a member of The Drifters after a chance encounter. In 1958, the tenor was singing as part of the Five Crowns at New York’s Apollo Theatre when The Drifters’ original manager, George Treadwell, fired all members of the group for getting drunk and cursing show promoter and Apollo owner Mary Goldberg. Treadwell replaced all members of The Drifters with Five Crowns.

Led by Ben E. King, The Drifters experienced success from several singles. “There Goes My Baby,” “Under The Boardwalk,” and “Up on the Roof” became beloved R&B classics, though The Drifters wouldn’t top the Billboard charts until 1960 with “Save the Last Dance For Me,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100. The song has since been covered by Dolly Parton, Michael Bublé and more. “Sweets for My Sweet” peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100 in 1961, and “When My Little Girl Is Smiling” cracked the top 30 of the chart at No. 28 in 1962.

Thomas — alongside band members King, Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Gerhart Thrasher, Johnny Moore and Rudy Lewis — was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Despite the group’s many iterations throughout the years, Thomas continued performing with The Drifters throughout to the pandemic.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Rita Thomas; his two daughters, Crystal Thomas Wilson and Victoria Green; and his three sons, Charlie “Happy” Thomas Jr., Michael Sidbury and Brian Godfrey.

Ever wanted to read a detailed, autobiographical account of how a star such as Barbra Streisand is born? If so, the following news definitely won’t rain on your parade. The 80-year-old chart-topping singer and actress announced Tuesday (Feb. 7) that her highly anticipated memoir, titled My Name Is Barbra, is finally coming to bookstores near you on Nov. 7.

The news arrived via a simple, elegant announcement on the Broadway star’s Instagram, along with a glamorous black and white photo of a younger Babs that may or may not be the book’s cover. “Barbra’s memoir ‘My Name Is Barbra’ coming November 7th,” the announcement reads.

My Name Is Barbra will be published by Penguin Random House and is already available for $45 preorder on the publishing company’s website, where a “coming soon” sign is displayed in place of the book’s cover. “Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment,” reads Penguin’s description of the book.

“In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) to the long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed.”

“The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming,” adds the description, noting that Streisand will recount her early career struggles, film work and the recording processes behind her extensive discography. She’ll also divulge details about her friendships with VIPs such as Marlon Brando and Madeleine Albright, along with the “fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.”

Streisand, who’s also author of My Passion for Design, has been teasing fans with the possibility of a memoir for years. The project eventually started to materialize back in 2015, when it was first announced that she would publish a memoir, originally slated to arrive in 2017. It wasn’t finished in time, however, something the performer opened up about in a 2018 interview with The New Yorker.

“Four years in. They wanted the book in two years,” she told to the publication. “I find it hard to look back. You know, I have to look myself up … I find that it’s hard to look at yourself. I don’t mean hard as in negative. I mean, it feels egotistic to look at something about yourself … The only reason I said I’ll do the book now is because I couldn’t get movies that I wanted to make made.”

See the announcement for Barbra Streisand’s memoir, My Name Is Barbra, below: