Entertainment

Dolly Parton’s New Album Is A Detour From Country Music

Published

1 year ago

2023-11-15

Kiara Grace

(LOS ANGELES) Despite her wishes, Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.

On Friday, she will release her debut rock ‘n’ roll album, appropriately titled “Rockstar,” almost precisely a year later.

Parton stated in 2022 that she did not believe she had “earned” the right to be nominated, but the Hall inducted her anyway.

“I just didn’t think I had done enough in the rock world to be considered, to be put in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when there were so many great rock artists who aren’t even in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Parton said over the phone to The Associated Press.

“Because they were going to put me in anyway, I just accepted it gracefully.” “But I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to have to work for a living,'” she adds. Parton had considered recording a “Linda Ronstadt-type rock album,” but she felt she was getting too old. This opened up new possibilities.

“I jumped on that like a duck on a Junebug,” she giggles.

Dolly Parton’s New Album Is A Detour From Country Music

She began performing covers of some of her favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs. “Every Breath You Take” features Sting, “Baby, I Love Your Way” with Peter Frampton, “Heart of Glass” with Debbie Harry, and “Heartbreaker” with Pat Benatar. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” features Pink and Brandi Carlile, “Night Moves” has Chris Stapleton, and “Stairway to Heaven” features Lizzo on flute.

She desired Mick Jagger and Lionel Richie, but the timing could have been better. She did, however, succeed in reuniting the Beatles. In a way. Long before the release of “Now and Then,” Parton approached Paul McCartney and requested him to perform on a cover of “Let It Be.”

“He said, ‘Yeah, I’d be happy to play on it, too, if you want me to,” she adds, “and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’ve died and gone to heaven.'” Ringo Starr then replaced the drums recorded on the tune.

Starr informed the Associated Press earlier this year that he’s working on a country music EP, to which Parton responds, “I’ll join them if they want me to!”

“I’d definitely do some country singing for some of the rockers going country,” she says.

“Rockstar” also includes nine new songs. Some have been discovered, such as the lovelorn “My Blue Tears,” written when Parton was with “The Porter Wagoner Show” in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the cheeky “I Dreamed About Elvis,” penned more than two decades ago. It contains Jordanaires, a 1950s vocal quartet that broke up in 2013, and Ronnie McDowell, who plays the Elvis role in the song.

“I had him come in and do the Elvis voice on it, just to kind of sum up that whole story about Elvis,” she recalls. She’s alluding to the now-famous incident in which Elvis Presley expressed interest in recording her hit “I Will Always Love You.” She declined because Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted 50% of the publishing rights to the song.

Dolly Parton’s New Album Is A Detour From Country Music

Those beautiful tunes stand in stark contrast to the album’s lead single. “World on Fire” is theatrical arena rock at its finest, with large drums and even louder power chords that are both musically ascendant and thematically frustrated.

“I’m very sensitive,” she admits. “I care about people, human suffering and all of that.”

“World On Fire,” she claims, was written after the album was finished. But after watching so many natural disasters last year, she adds, “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to write this song, and I’ve got to call another session because I think the song needs to be heard. This is something I must say. People who are feeling that way but don’t know how to articulate it need to hear it. And I just feel like it’s my place to do that sometimes.”

With lyrics like “Greedy politicians, present and past / They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ’em in the ass,” many felt Parton was going political, even though she had spent her whole career remaining apolitical.

“I’m not a politician.” “I despise politics,” she declares. “This has nothing to do with politics.” It is about protecting the world rather than destroying it.”

For the time being, Parton declares “Rockstar” to be her first and final rock album. She is developing her life narrative into a Broadway musical and hopes to branch out into other genres.

“I’d like to do an R&B album,” she explains. “As well as blues.” I want to record a blues album. So, who can say? There are numerous activities available.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.