JOJO OPENS UP ABOUT HER DEPRESSION
NEW YORK (AP) - At age 13, JoJo had her first hit, with the song “Leave (Get Out).” At age 18, she was drinking to the point of blacking out. JoJo tells People magazine she’s been going to therapy and taking antidepressants for clinical depression since she was 18. She says she felt “overwhelmed” when she got into a contract dispute with her record label in 2009. Her family has a history of mental health issues and addiction, which contributed to her father’s death in 2015. JoJo says besides therapy and medication, she manages her depression now through exercise and journaling. She says she still drinks, but not to escape. She says her “relationship with alcohol is different now.”
TOMMY LEE GIVES UP ON AUTOGRAPHS
UNDATED (AP) - Tommy Lee is telling fans not to send him autograph requests because he’s had it with fans selling items he’s signed. Lee writes on social media he thought he was doing the right thing by signing the autographs with people’s names. He says he’s finding things he’s signed on eBay that still have the names, or even with the names whited out. He says for those who he’s given a signature, he hopes they enjoy it, and for those who are selling his signature, he has a profane suggestion for them.
POST MALONE ASKS FANS TO HELP HIM DONATE $1 MILLION
NEW YORK (AP) - Post Malone needs help in deciding where $1 million should go. Malone recently held a livestream tribute to Nirvana and is so inspired that he plans to give $1 million to charity. He’s asking fans to text him at 817-270-6440 with ideas, since not everyone has the means to support their favorite charities. He will read through the submissions for input. Causes that are important to Malone are first responders, disaster relief, education, homelessness, hunger, mental health and veterans.
BILLBOARD: “HOLD ON” IS MOST COMMON TITLE FOR HIT SONGS
LOS ANGELES (AP) - If you want to get a song onto the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, you might increase your odds by titling it “Hold On.” Billboard reports an analysis of chart data reveals that “Hold On” is the most common title for songs that have made it on that chart. That includes songs by Wilson Phillips, En Vogue, Santana, Triumph and Kansas. Alabama Shakes made it onto the chart in March with their song called “Hold On.” It’s a six-way tie for second. The second-most common titles for songs, with 14 each, are “You,” “Stay,” “Runaway,” “Happy,” “Forever” and “Angel.”
MUSICIANS JOIN LEBRON JAMES FOR GRAD EVENT
NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James is putting together an all-star event for the high school class of 2020, which had its graduation season upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The one-hour special, “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,” will air on NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox on May 16 at 8 p.m. eastern. Musicians to appear include Pharrell Williams, the Jonas Brothers, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe and H.E.R.
SEAL, STEVE AOKI WILL PLAY “MARIO TENNIS ACES” FOR CHARITY
UNDATED (AP) - Seal has a shot at beating Serena and Venus Williams at tennis. They will all participate in a charity doubles tournament called the “Stay At Home Slam” in which they play other celebrities in the video game “Mario Tennis Aces.” Seal will be paired with Madison Keys. Serena Williams’ partner is model Gigi Hadid, and Venus Williams’ partner is Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Steve Aoki will play with Kei Nishikori (kay nih-shih-KOHR'-ee). Maria Sharapova, Karlie Kloss and Hailey Bieber are among the other celebrities involved. Participants choose a charity to receive a $25,000 donation, and the winner will choose a charity for an additional $1 million donation. The event will be streamed at IMG Tennis’ Facebook page.
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY GOES VIRTUAL
NEW YORK (AP) - Today’s International Jazz Day was supposed to be a global event anyway. Now the musicians will be performing virtually from around the globe. Jazz concerts to mark the day were supposed to happen around the world, with the main concert happening in Cape Town, South Africa. Instead, the musicians such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, Lang Lang, Charlie Puth and many others will perform online starting at 3 p.m. Eastern at www.JazzDay.com. International Jazz Day co-chair Herbie Hancock says they plan to use social isolation “as a golden opportunity for humankind to reconnect.”
NEWPORT MUSIC FESTIVALS CANCELED
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Newport Folk and Newport Jazz Festivals have been canceled, the same day that Rhode Island’s governor called off all large gatherings for the summer. Governor Gina Raimondo says events of 50 people or more will not be allowed as the state fights the coronavirus outbreak. The Folk Festival was set for July 31-Aug. 3, and was to feature Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, Randy Newman and The National. The Jazz Festival was set for Aug. 7-9 and had Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall on the lineup. Organizers of both festivals say they have invited all the artists to play next year.
by Margie Szaroleta