‘Record companies have me on a dartboard’: the man making millions buying classic hits

Hit songs can be a better investment than gold – and by snapping up the rights, Merck Mercuriadis has become the most disruptive force in music...
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/27/merck-mercuriadis-the-man-who-is-shaking-up-the-music-industry?CMP=twt_a-culture_b-gdnculture?source=Snapzu

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Announce New Album as Silk Sonic

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have announced a new joint project called Silk Sonic. The pair has made a whole album together, featuring Parliament Funkadelic bassist and funk star Bootsy Collins as a “special guest host.” The first single arrives on March 5, with the rest of the record arriving on an as yet unannounced date.
Read more: https://pitchfork.com/news/bruno-mars-and-anderson-paak-announce-new-album-as-silk-sonic/?source=Snapzu

Uproar at KCRW as former producer accuses public radio giant of 'blatant racism'

Former producer Cerise Castle claims she experienced a pattern of racist behavior while working at KCRW. The station disputes some of her allegations.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-02-25/kcrw-cerise-castle-racism-public-radio-npr?source=Snapzu

Just A Quick Reminder That SNL Is Paying Its Audience To be There

If it's not special treatment, then it's special treatment with extra steps.
Read more: https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/saturday-night-live/snl-pays-its-audience-during-covid/?source=Snapzu

The Art of Reading More Effectively and Efficiently

In many ways, improving the way we read is the number one skill that can change our lives for the better. This article explains how this is done.
Read more: https://aliabdaal.com/read-more-effectively/?source=Snapzu

Pokémon at 25 is stronger than ever

Before I came to work at Engadget, I worked as an Associate Editor for The Pokémon Company for five years. It was always a bit weird trying to explain what I did back then, because I’d always get “oh, is that still around, I thought that was just a fad” comments, and I’d have to explain that no, it was still very much a thing.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/pokemon-25th-anniversary-143049469.html?source=Snapzu

Kelsey Grammer to return as Frasier in reboot of hit comedy

Actor is ‘gleefully anticipating’ the return of the comedy, which is being rebooted after 17 years
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/feb/25/kelsey-grammer-frasier-reboot-hit-comedy?source=Snapzu

Most Dangerous Things - Comparison

Read more: https://snapzu.com/Gozzin/most-dangerous-things-comparison?source=Snapzu

Spotify: Price rise 'could push users into piracy'

Prices have been anchored at £9.99 for years, and Spotify says the situation isn't likely to change.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56169237?source=Snapzu

New book tells baseball stories from around the world

Another client of THGM Writing Services publishes. A Pilot's Passion: Baseball Travels the World is a genre-defying book by Scott Weaver.Is it an anthology of short stories?Is it sports?
Read more: https://thgmwriters.com/blog/baseball-stories-world-book/?source=Snapzu

'Rick and Morty' writers start work on season seven

Rick and Morty writer Alex Rubens has confirmed that work has begun on season 7. Rubens teased the news in a tongue-in-cheek tweet, writing: “Am I allowed to say we started writing Rick and Morty Season 7? (If not we didn’t and I’m not)”
Read more: https://www.nme.com/news/tv/rick-and-morty-writers-start-work-season-seven-2886939?source=Snapzu

Hillary Clinton to publish thriller set in aftermath of US political turmoil

Hillary Clinton is teaming up with the award-winning thriller author Louise Penny to write an “international political thriller” in which a secretary of state joins the administration of “a president inaugurated after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage”.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/23/hillary-clinton-to-publish-thriller-set-in-aftermath-of-us-political-turmoil?source=Snapzu

Is it Worth Reading if I Forget Everything I Read?

My partner and I are both book nerds–we met working at a bookstore–but we don’t have a lot of overlap in our reading. He tends towards science fiction and horror, and I read YA, literary fiction, and queer lit of all genres. When we do both read the same book, though, it’s always an interesting experience for me. I tend to immerse myself in books, absorbing the general emotions I get from the story, or the big ideas that it grapples with.
Read more: https://bookriot.com/i-forget-everything-i-read/?source=Snapzu

The Real Life Diet of Rob Zombie, Who Thinks Eating Vegan Is Metal

For the heavy metal musician and horror director, cutting out meat and dairy wasn’t just critical for his health—it was about fighting the establishment.
Read more: https://www.gq.com/story/real-life-diet-rob-zombie?fbclid=IwAR2sYZJDNfalqSDcpUxWvzsg_3upQcD6b4pSq9Ikc0SaHUAQbzGtUnvH4w0?source=Snapzu

Daft Punk Breaks Up

French electronic dance duo Daft Punk, made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, have been together since 1993
Read more: https://www.thewrap.com/daft-punk-breaks-up/?source=Snapzu

Sacha Baron Cohen On 'Borat' Ethics And Why His Disguise Days Are Over

Baron Cohen has been chased, sued and nearly arrested while in character. A scary experience with a gun rights rally while filming Borat 2 solidified his decision: "At some point, your luck runs out."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/22/970115927/sacha-baron-cohen-on-borat-ethics-and-why-his-disguise-days-are-over?source=Snapzu

Book review: The Husband Poisoner is about lethal ladies and dangerously tasty recipes

A new book, about the suburban women who poisoned their husbands in post-war Sydney, explores their cold-blooded modus operandi and the hot dinners they prepared.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/book-review-the-husband-poisoner-is-about-lethal-ladies-and-dangerously-tasty-recipes-154267?source=Snapzu

Billie Eilish granted restraining order against alleged death-threat stalker

"You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me," Billie Eilish's alleged stalker reportedly said in a letter.
Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/billie-eilish-granted-restraining-order-against-alleged-death-threat-stalker-12223642?source=Snapzu

‘The Simpsons’ Brings Edna Krabappel Back To Pay Tribute To Late Marcia Wallace

On Sunday night’s episode of The Simpsons titled “Dairy Queen”, the audience gets treated to a visit from a familiar face — and voice
Read more: https://deadline.com/2021/02/the-simpsons-edna-krabappel-marcia-wallace-fox-al-jean-1234698019/?source=Snapzu

Novak Djokovic Cruises to 9th Australian Open Title

Novak Djokovic defeated fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in three quick sets on Sunday in Melbourne to claim his ninth Australian Open title.
Read more: https://lastwordonsports.com/tennis/2021/02/21/novak-djokovic-australian-open-title-18th-grand-slam/?source=Snapzu

40 Years of Weird: Al Yankovic’s Biggest Moments

The tale of how a man and his accordion conquered the charts.
Read more: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2021/02/40-years-of-weird-al-yankovics-biggest-moments/?source=Snapzu

Emilia Clarke to Replace Amber Heard As Mera In Aquaman 2?

After Johnny Depp was fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise back in November, fans across the world raised their voice for Warner Bros’ seemingly unfair decision. However, it now seems, according to a new rumor, that the studio has finally cleared its stance on allegations of domestic abuse by replacing Amber Heard with Game of Thrones alumnus Emilia Clarke for the role of Mera in the upcoming Aquaman 2.
Read more: https://fandomwire.com/emilia-clarke-to-replace-amber-heard-as-mera-in-aquaman-2/?source=Snapzu

Tim Allen on How New Show 'Assembly Required' Is Like 'Tool Time'

Tim Allen discusses how his new HIstory channel show "Assembly Required" is like a live version of "Tool Time."
Read more: https://www.thewrap.com/assembly-required-tim-allen-richard-karn-tool-time-home-improvement/?source=Snapzu

Off-road, off-grid: the modern nomads wandering America's back country

Across US public lands thousands of people are taking to van life, as featured in the Oscar-tipped film Nomadland
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/04/modern-nomads-nomadland-van-life-us-public-lands?source=Snapzu

FKA twigs claims Shia LaBeouf bragged about ‘shooting stray dogs’ to ‘get into character’

FKA twigs has claimed that ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf used to brag about shooting stray dogs because it helped him “get into character”. Part of an extensive interview with Elle magazine, the musician and actor born Tahliah Barnett described how, during her relationship with the Honey Boy actor, LaBeouf claimed to be method acting in preparation for an upcoming role in 2020's The Tax Collector.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/fka-twigs-shia-labeouf-interview-shoot-dogs-b1803778.html?source=Snapzu

WandaVision’s Randall Park Loved Showing Off A Different Side of Jimmy Woo

WandaVision’s Randall Park absolutely loved cutting loose with Jimmy Woo in the latest episode. MCU fans got a dose of action from the FBI agent in the latest installment of the DIsney+ series. The star sat down with Marvel.com to discuss the throwdown with Monica Rambeau and SWORD.
Read more: https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/wandavision-jimmy-woo-randall-park-loved-different-side/?source=Snapzu

How They Shot the Head Explosion Scene in 'Scanners'

Here's the mind-blowing story behind one of the most infamous shots in cinema: the head explosion effect in David Cronenberg's 'Scanners.'
Read more: https://filmschoolrejects.com/scanners-head-explosion/?source=Snapzu

Blob Opera - Google Arts & Culture

Create your own opera inspired song with Blob Opera - no music skills required ! A machine learning experiment by David Li in collaboration with Google Art...
Read more: https://artsandculture.google.com/experiment/blob-opera/AAHWrq360NcGbw?source=Snapzu

Opinion: Simone Biles penalized for having skills other gymnasts can't pull off

Simone Biles is the last person international gymnastics officials should be using to try and make a point. In an effort to deter other gymnasts from trying skills they are not physically capable of doing, the International Gymnastics Federation watered down the value of a new element Biles plans to do at the world championships. That’s right. Penalize the reigning world and Olympic champion, who is almost cautious when it comes to adding difficulty, for the potential recklessness of others.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2019/10/04/gymnastics-simon-biles-penalized-championships-being-too-good/3866255002/?source=Snapzu

Netflix is making a Redwall movie, and The Verge staff is very excited

Earlier this week, Netflix dropped a surprise announcement that it’s adapting author Brian Jacques’ iconic Redwall books into a new animated movie and TV franchise. Based on the 22-book children’s series that was published from 1986 through 2011, the books span generations of sword-fighting anthropomorphic mice, rabbits, badgers, and other woodland creatures living at the titular Redwall Abbey.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/13/22280775/netflix-redwall-movie-tv-show-analysis-reaction-cgi-food?source=Snapzu

Single-Player Is Not Dead, Despite Rise In Multiplayer And Live Services

Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, fundamentally believes in the single-player experience, despite a rise in live services both at Take-Two and across the industry. During an earnings call this week, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said its Rockstar Games label has always been known for its excellence in storytelling and single-player, and you should expect the company to continue to invest in this with its projects going forward, despite the rise of GTA Online.
Read more: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/single-player-is-not-dead-despite-rise-in-multiplayer-and-live-services-take-two-ceo/1100-6487280/?source=Snapzu

Dave Chappelle announces ‘Chappelle's Show’ is returning to Netflix in surprise new clip

Dave Chappelle released a surprise clip from a standup performance on Thursday in which he revealed that Chappelle's Show is coming back to Netflix on Feb. 12. Towards the end of the roughly 10-minute video captioned "Redemption Song," Chappelle wrapped up by making the announcement and thanking Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos for pulling Chappelle's Show at his request in November.
Read more: https://ew.com/tv/dave-chappelle-reveals-chappelle-show-returning-netflix/?source=Snapzu

All of Disney's streaming services are booming

Very quickly, Disney has become perhaps the dominant force in the video streaming world. Just about six months after the company announced it had over 100 million streaming video subscribers, Disney has revealed it has almost that many on Disney+ alone. In today’s earnings report covering the last quarter of 2020, Disney announced that it now has 94.9 million Disney+ subscribers, 39.4 million Hulu subscribers and 12.1 million ESPN+ subscribers. Overall, Disney is up to 146 million streaming video subscribers all told, with Disney+ a force to be reckoned with.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/disney-q4-2020-earnings-224854835.html?source=Snapzu

See how libraries are meeting ebook demand for the NYT Best Sellers list with this visualization

Fiction author, sourdough bread lover, and former Twitter executive Robin Sloan is answering a question you may have never thought to ask: which New York Times Best Sellers list ebooks are in the highest demand in the US public library system?
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/11/22278462/robin-sloan-e-book-lending-library-nyt-bestseller-list-visualization?source=Snapzu

Comedy Central Gives License Back to Dave Chappelle & Pays Millions!

In an Instagram clip posted on Thursday, Chappelle announced that the Comedy Central show he produced and left acrimoniously returned to the streaming site on Feb. 12, just over two months after it had been removed at his request.
Read more: https://www.screenbinge.com/news/comedy-central-gives-license-back-to-dave-chappelle-pays-millions/?source=Snapzu

Disney says it now has 94.9 million Disney+ subscribers, will no longer provide quarterly numbers

Disney announced Thursday that its streaming platform surpassed 94.9 million subscribers.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/11/disney-says-it-now-has-94point9-million-disney-plus-subscribers.html?source=Snapzu

Chick Corea, jazz legend and renowned pianist, dead at 79

Renowned jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea has died, according to a statement on the musician's website. He was 79.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/11/entertainment/chick-corea-dead/index.html?source=Snapzu

‘Mandalorian’ Star Gina Carano Under Fire for Controversial Social Media Posts

Gina Carano, who plays Cara Dune on both seasons of Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian,” garnered backlash on social media Wednesday after sharing several controversial posts
Read more: https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/gina-carano-mandalorian-controversy-twitter-1234905140/?source=Snapzu

Britney Spears: fight over pop star's conservatorship heads back to court

The legal fight over Britney Spears’s finances and conservatorship is heading back to Los Angeles court on Thursday, days after a new documentary sparked widespread outrage about the controversial guardianship the pop star has been living under for years.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/10/britney-spears-conservatorship-court-hearing-los-angeles?source=Snapzu

'The Mandalorian' has reportedly dropped Gina Carano after her 'abhorrent' social media posts

It looks as though The Mandalorian is cleaning house. Actor Gina Carano has reportedly been released from her role on The Mandalorian as former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune following significant criticism regarding her social media posts. She has also parted ways with her agency UTA, according to a report from Deadline.
Read more: https://mashable.com/article/mandalorian-fire-gina-carano/?source=Snapzu

Ancient hunter-gatherer seashell resonates after 17,000 years

Archaeologists have managed to get near-perfect notes out of a musical instrument that's more than 17,000 years old. It's a conch shell that was found in a hunter-gatherer cave in southern France. The artefact is the oldest known wind instrument of its type. To date, only bone flutes can claim a deeper heritage.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56017967?source=Snapzu

A man has turned his dead uncle's skeleton into a guitar

A metal fan known as Prince Midnight has constructed a functioning guitar from the skeleton of his dead uncle
Read more: https://www.nme.com/news/music/man-dead-uncles-skeleton-guitar-2877448?source=Snapzu

Netflix Adapting ‘Redwall’ Books Into Animated Movies, TV Series

Brian Jacques’ beloved “Redwall” books are being adapted into a feature film and TV series thanks to a new rights deal between Netflix and Penguin Random House Children. The fantasy novels have sold 30 million copies globally and have attracted an avid following with their tales of heroism, villainy and derring do all played out by mice, moles, hares and badgers. Think J.R.R. Tolkien with cuddlier protagonists.
Read more: https://variety.com/2021/film/news/netflix-redwall-movie-tv-show-brian-jacques-1234904865/?source=Snapzu

'It's the best show ever': how showing Lost to my kids made me love it anew

It started with Heroes. We watched season one, then I said, “We’re just going to pretend there are no more seasons because they are not very good.” “How does that happen?” the 13-year-old asked “Oh, all sorts of reasons,” I said. “For example, once they made the best television pilot of all time and everybody loved it. And then the show ended up just terrible.”
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/feb/09/its-the-best-show-ever-how-showing-lost-to-my-kids-made-me-love-it-anew?source=Snapzu

Capitol Stormer "Q Shaman" Interview, Trumpet Version

Read more: https://snapzu.com/kxh/capitol-stormer-q-shaman-interview-trumpet-version?source=Snapzu

YouTube prankster planted Super Bowl streaker to advertise his porn website

The Super Bowl streaker's prank lost some of its sheen when it was revealed to be a publicity stunt for adult site Vitaly Uncensored.
Read more: https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/super-bowl-streaker-video-youtuber-porn-site/?source=Snapzu

Elton John: I learned by touring Europe in the 60s. Young artists need the same chance

In 1966, I went to Hamburg. I was the keyboard player in Bluesology, and we had a residency at the Top Ten Club, where the Beatles had famously cut their teeth. It was a real baptism of fire. We played on the Reeperbahn, five hours a night in among the brothels and sex shows, to audiences who hadn’t come to see us. But it was still great: we played so much we didn’t have any choice but to improve as a band. Certainly, it was better than my solo debut on the continent a few years later, when some bright spark booked me as the support act to Sergio Mendes in Paris.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/07/elton-john-touring-europe-young-artists-brexit-negotiators-musicians-support?source=Snapzu

The New Show From the Creator of The Powerpuff Girls Is an Incisive Indictment of Bad Fans

Craig McCracken has a message for comic-book nerds: It's time to let everybody play.
Read more: https://slate.com/culture/2021/02/kid-cosmic-netflix-craig-mccracken-review-gatekeeping-fandom.html?source=Snapzu

Kanye West Faces $30 Million in Damages and Two Class-Action Lawsuits

Kanye West faces two class action suits and up to $30 million in penalties, allegedly failing to pay up to 1,000 performers and crew members of his Sunday Service Shows. According to Page Six, the cases were filed in Los Angeles last summer and are split between the performers and the crew: Frank Kim has more than 500 performers, while Harris & Ruble’s lawyers have more than 300 crew members, according to the outlet sources.
Read more: https://www.screenbinge.com/news/kanye-west-faces-30-million-in-damages-and-two-class-action-lawsuits/?source=Snapzu

The Oral History of 'Guitar Hero'

How to accidentally change the world.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8bey/the-oral-history-of-guitar-hero?source=Snapzu