Fire Aid has announced the artists assigned to each venue for the mega concerts set for January 30th.
Fire Aid — produced by Irving Azoff, AEG, and Live Nation — is raising money for wildfire relief at two places: the Intuit Dome and KIA Forum.
You can see the breakdown below. Tickets go one sale tomorrow at Ticketmaster and should be gone instantly.
Garth Hudson has shuffled off this mortal coil. He was 87.
Garth was the last remaining member of The Band. Robbie Robertson died last year, and they were pre-deceased by Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel.
Featured with Bob Dylan, and also in Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz,” The Band’s hits include “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Shape I’m In,” and so many more. Their album, “Music from Big Pink,” is one of the best of all time.
Hudson’s passing is sad news. An era has ended for good. But their music lives on and on.
Today, we sadly say goodbye to Garth "Honey Boy" Hudson, the last living original member of The Band. A musical genius and cornerstone of the group’s timeless sound, Garth once said, “I found some true enjoyment in helping people get to the bottom of their feelings.” Through his… pic.twitter.com/IdVidFbLOp
— The Band (@TheBandOfficial) January 21, 2025
A strong line up is ready for the January 31st Musicares/Grammy tribute to the Grateful Dead in Los Angeles.
This Person of the Year dinner will also be a fundraiser for music professionals affected by the wildfires.
Of course, it also raises money for musicians with all kinds of needs apart from the fires, too.
This all happens two nights before Trevor Noah hosts the Grammy Awards on CBS, Sunday February 2nd.
The music roster is top notch: Performers include Zac Brown, Stewart Copeland, Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones, Wynonna Judd, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Maren Morris, Lukas Nelson, Billy Strings, The War On Drugs, Vampire Weekend, and Dwight Yoakam, along with GRAMMY Award nominees Sierra Ferrell, Noah Kahan, Maggie Rose, My Morning Jacket, and The War And Treaty.
Don Was will lead the in house band.
For some reason, Andy Cohen is hosting the night. You don’t think of him as a Grateful Dead fan, but life is full of surprises!
“Music has the power to heal and comfort,” says Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. “This year’s gala honoring the Grateful Dead will not only provide a moment where music people can reunite and support one another in the wake of the devastating fires in Greater Los Angeles but together can provide funding for our community in need. I look forward to standing with the MusiCares team and all our guests for an impactful night.”
Tables and tickets are available for purchase at http://personoftheyear.musicares.org/. For more information about the event please visit www.musicares.org or email personoftheyear@musicares.org.
Carrie Underwood’s bizarre performance at Trump’s inauguration has had mixed results.
On amazon, there have been no sales of albums. Not a single one is in the Top 100.
Over at iTunes, five albums have hit the top 100, but not in any kind of major way. They’re all low on the chart.
Nothing’s happened to boost Underwood’s biggest hit, “Before He Cheats,” her most appropriate song for Trump.
This month, Carrie has sold 17,261 albums almost all from streaming. Actual sales is 1,666. Not great.
What a weird moment yesterday when Underwood was announced. First nothing happened. Then a nano second of pre-recorded music. This was followed by Underwood picking up her microphone a la Barbara Harris in Robert Altman’s “Nashville.” (The Trump like politician has just survived an assassination attempt.) She just started singing, and invited people to join her in “America the Beautiful.” Her voice wobbled at first until she found some equilibrium.
Underwood has been criticized for singing for Trump who — following his swearing in — wiped out the White House arts and culture commission, also stands against DEI, trans kids, the climate, and abortion.
He’s also been found guilty in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial, with 34 felony convictions.
Something’s going on in Bieber world.
According to reports, he’s stopped following wife Hailey Baldwin Bieber on Instagram. Likewise, she isn’t following him.
He includes almost no pictures of the couple on his page. She has none of him on her page.
This is the way you know what’s going on in 2025, by the way.
Yesterday he posted pictures of himself smoking pot through a bong, dressed as Zorro. When the pictures first went up, they were accompanied by Johnny Cash singing “There You Go.” The song begins: “You’re gonna break another heart, you’re gonna tell another lie.”
The song has since been removed from the post. The pair just had a baby. Maybe Justin’s feeling a little excluded. Maybe Trump broke them up in an Executive Order.
The full lyrics do not indicate a happy situation.
You’re gonna break another heart
You’re gonna tell another lie
Well, here I am and there you go, you’re gone again
I know you’re gonna be the way you’ve always been
Breaking hearts and telling lies is all you know
Another guy gives you the eye
There you go
There you go
You’re gone again
I should’ve known
I couldn’t win
There you go
You’re by his side
You’re gonna break another heart
You’re gonna tell another lie
Because I love you so, I take much more than I should take
I want you even though I know my heart is going to break
You build me up and for a while I’m all aglow
Then your fickle heart sees someone else
There you go
There you go
You’re gone again
I should’ve known
I couldn’t win
There you go
You’re by his side
You’re gonna break another heart
You’re gonna tell another lie
MAGA must be so proud.
And congrats to you, too, Democrats who didn’t support Kamala Harris.
Look at what you’ve done.
With a weird, staccato signature, Donald Trump has wiped out all of Joe Biden’s progressive decisions.
Here’s a lot of everything that’s gone. Drug prices will rise, arts will lose their funding, our delicate infrastructure will crumble. And the census? Forget about it!
Good work! The next four years are going to be a shit show! You authorized a 34 count felon to do all this:
Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government).
Executive Order 13986 of January 20, 2021 (Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census).
Executive Order 13987 of January 20, 2021 (Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government To Provide a Unified and Effective Response To Combat COVID-19 and To Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security).
Executive Order 13988 of January 20, 2021 (Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation).
Executive Order 13989 of January 20, 2021 (Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel).
Executive Order 13990 of January 20, 2021 (Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis).
Executive Order 13992 of January 20, 2021 (Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation).
Executive Order 13993 of January 20, 2021 (Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities).
Executive Order 13995 of January 21, 2021 (Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery).
Executive Order 13996 of January 21, 2021 (Establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for COVID-19 and Other Biological Threats).
Executive Order 13997 of January 21, 2021 (Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19).
Executive Order 13999 of January 21, 2021 (Protecting Worker Health and Safety).
Executive Order 14000 of January 21, 2021 (Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers).
Executive Order 14002 of January 22, 2021 (Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic).
Executive Order 14003 of January 22, 2021 (Protecting the Federal Workforce).
Executive Order 14004 of January 25, 2021 (Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform).
Executive Order 14006 of January 26, 2021 (Reforming Our Incarceration System To Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities).
Executive Order 14007 of January 27, 2021 (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology).
Executive Order 14008 of January 27, 2021 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad).
Executive Order 14009 of January 28, 2021 (Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act).
Executive Order 14010 of February 2, 2021 (Creating a Comprehensive Regional Framework To Address the Causes of Migration, To Manage Migration Throughout North and Central America, and To Provide Safe and Orderly Processing of Asylum Seekers at the United States Border).
Executive Order 14011 of February 2, 2021 (Establishment of Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families).
Executive Order 14012 of February 2, 2021 (Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans).
Executive Order 14013 of February 4, 2021 (Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs To Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration).
Executive Order 14015 of February 14, 2021 (Establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships).
Executive Order 14018 of February 24, 2021 (Revocation of Certain Presidential Actions).
Executive Order 14019 of March 7, 2021 (Promoting Access to Voting).
Executive Order 14020 of March 8, 2021 (Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council).
Executive Order 14021 of March 8, 2021 (Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free From Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity).
Executive Order 14022 of April 1, 2021 (Termination of Emergency With Respect to the International Criminal Court).
Executive Order 14023 of April 9, 2021 (Establishment of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States).
Executive Order 14027 of May 7, 2021 (Establishment of the Climate Change Support Office).
Executive Order 14029 of May 14, 2021 (Revocation of Certain Presidential Actions and Technical Amendment).
Executive Order 14030 of May 20, 2021 (Climate-Related Financial Risk).
Executive Order 14031 of May 28, 2021 (Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders).
Executive Order 14035 of June 25, 2021 (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce).
Executive Order 14037 of August 5, 2021 (Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks).
Executive Order 14044 of September 13, 2021 (Amending Executive Order 14007).
Executive Order 14045 of September 13, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics).
Executive Order 14049 of October 11, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities).
Executive Order 14050 of October 19, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans).
Executive Order 14052 of November 15, 2021 (Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act).
Executive Order 14055 of November 18, 2021 (Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts).
Executive Order 14057 of December 8, 2021 (Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability).
Executive Order 14060 of December 15, 2021 (Establishing the United States Council on Transnational Organized Crime).
Executive Order 14069 of March 15, 2022 (Advancing Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in Federal Contracting by Promoting Pay Equity and Transparency).
Executive Order 14070 of April 5, 2022 (Continuing To Strengthen Americans’ Access to Affordable, Quality Health Coverage).
Executive Order 14074 of May 25, 2022 (Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety).
Executive Order 14075 of June 15, 2022 (Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals).
Executive Order 14082 of September 12, 2022 (Implementation of the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022).
Executive Order 14084 of September 30, 2022 (Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services).
Executive Order 14087 of October 14, 2022 (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans).
Executive Order 14089 of December 13, 2022 (Establishing the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States).
Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government).
The Presidential Memorandum of March 13, 2023 (Withdrawal of Certain Areas off the United States Arctic Coast of the Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Gas Leasing).
Executive Order 14094 of April 6, 2023 (Modernizing Regulatory Review).
Executive Order 14096 of April 21, 2023 (Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All).
Executive Order 14099 of May 9, 2023 (Moving Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Workers).
Executive Order 14110 of October 30, 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence).
Executive Order 14115 of February 1, 2024 (Imposing Certain Sanctions on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank).
Executive Order 14124 of July 17, 2024 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions).
Executive Order 14134 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture).
Executive Order 14135 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Homeland Security).
Executive Order 14136 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice).
Executive Order 14137 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Treasury).
Executive Order 14138 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of Management and Budget).
Executive Order 14139 of January 3, 2025 (Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of the National Cyber Director).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the Council on Environmental Quality to Act as Chairman).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the Office of Personnel Management to Act as Director).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to Act as Director).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the United States Agency for Global Media to Act as Chief Executive Officer).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the United States Agency for International Development to Act as Administrator).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 3, 2025 (Designation of Officials of the United States International Development Finance Corporation to Act as Chief Executive Officer).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 6, 2025 (Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 6, 2025 (Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 14, 2025 (Certification of Rescission of Cuba’s Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism).
The Presidential Memorandum of January 14, 2025 (Revocation of National Security Presidential Memorandum 5).
Executive Order 14143 of January 16, 2025 (Providing for the Appointment of Alumni of AmeriCorps to the Competitive Service).
While tragedy was occurring in the Capitol today, there was some levity, too.
Out west, former pop star Justin Bieber posted a bunch of pictures taken by his friend Rory. Wearing a Zorro hat, Bieber, now a father, is seen smoking a bowl, or a bong, of marijuana.
Johnny Cash’s “There You Go” was playing the first time the pictures were posted. Why? Who knows?
The song begins: “You’re gonna break another heart, you’re gonna tell another lie.” It’s all about a girlfriend — or wife, I suppose — who’s cheating again.
It’s hard to believe Bieber means his wife, Hailey Baldwin, but again, anything is possible.
For some reason, there were reports last week that the Biebs had new music coming out. I actually heard this on WINS in New York. There’s no evidence of anything new, however, which is fine. Or maybe this is the cover of his new album.
The bong brand has impressed his followers. It’s made by illadelph, in case you wondered.
View this post on Instagram
The Oscar races are on, and they are vicious.
There’s already a big kerfuffle over director Brady Corbet using AI for some of “The Brutalist.” This kind of reveal usually comes from the same source every Oscar season. It’s hard to say how this was generated. The AI debate is going to rage now because if that kind of software use is not specified up front, all bets are off. This would change filmmaking considerably.
PS One might ask, if Corbet did use AI, couldn”t he have programmed it to make the movieshorter, and maybe a little unpleasant?
Meantime, on Sunday the New York Times Styles section ran a profile of Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis. Rebecca Garelick authored the piece, an appreciation of Curtis’s fine work in “The Last Showgirl.”
Only one problem: the piece made it seem like Curtis had never won an Oscar. In fact, she picked up Best Supporting Actress two years ago for playing the cranky tax auditor in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” How was this omission possible?
Garelick’s article was certainly timed to the Oscar race for “The Last Showgirl.” Some publicist had placed it in the Times. But leaving out the fact that Curtis had just won an Oscar seemed almost intentional. Maybe if Academy voters saw the article the way it was worded, they wouldn’t think, ‘She just won!”
Very tricky stuff. Curtis is great in “The Last Showgirl” as a broken down former performer who’s seen it all. Curtis’s makeup alone should get awards. I said so when I reviewed the film from the Toronto Film Festival. But either Garelick was clueless, or a Times editor thought the original Oscar win wasn’t worth mentioning. Was there no space in the paper? There was plenty online.
Nominations will be disclosed on Thursday. Then things will get interesting.
I’ll give credit to Carrie Underwood.
She saved her performance at the Inauguration of “America the Beautiful.” When the pre-recorded glitch happened, everyone froze. But Underwood picked up the baton and started singing a capella. It was the right move. Her voice started out shaky, but eventually she hit her stride.
Nothing was worse than “opera singer” Christopher Macchio. He reminded me of Nick Apollo-Forte from “Broadway Danny Rose.” He didn’t even wear a tie! They should have had Ralph Macchio!
And so it all begins.
President Joe Biden concluded his administration by pardoning members of his family and the whole January 6th committee lest they all face retribution from vindictive Donald Trump.
He also pardoned Leonard Peltier, relegating him to home incarceration for life. He also pardoned General Mark Milley, Liz Cheney, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The latter two are guilty of nothing, but this prevents a public vendetta by Trump.
At noon, Donald Trump commenced an age of cruelty. He also commenced the start of raping natural resources, and renaming Mt. Denali back to Mt.McKinley and changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
On that last one, Hillary Clinton started laughing. Only Trump and his base will use that term. Mapmakers and other countries will never accept the Gulf of America.
Trump also did everything he could to alienate the trans community, declaring there are only two genders.
At least 200 Executive Orders are coming, all to set America back by generations and harm the environment. He’s motivated by self interest and greed, specified by his inclusion of tech billionaires on the dais. Funniest picture was of Facebook/Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg staring down the cleavage of Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos’s fiancee.
There was a glitch in the indoor ceremony. Something happened to the pre-recorded track, so Carrie Underwood had to sing “America the Beautiful” a capella after it was clear no one was coming to her aid. The so-called opera singer, Christopher Macchio, offered a horrid version of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
And then there was Melania, wearing a hat that looked like a metal spaceship, inside the Capitol Rotunda. She made sure no one could see or talk to her, but inside the hat she had copy of her contract with Trump. She didn’t even embrace Jeff Bezos, who just gave her $40 million for a $1 million documentary infomercial that no one wants.
No sign of the Three Stooges, aka Hollywood ambassadors Stallone, Gibson, Voight.