First Trailer Released for Robin de Jesus’ Limited Series “Welcome to Chippendales”

Robin de Jesus is chipp-ing in…

A first look trailer at Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales, a limited series starring the Puerto Rican actor and Kumail Nanjiani, has been released.

Robin de JesusThe 45-second teaser features a tricked-up version of Journey’s “Any Way You Want It.”

The sprawling true-crime saga follows Somen “Steve” Banerjee (Nanjiani), a socially awkward Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire — and let nothing stand in his way in the process.

“A world of luxury — right at your fingertips,” Banerjee says. But plenty of others want their piece of the action, including Nick De Noia (newly minted Emmy winner Murray Bartlett). His involvement ultimately doesn’t go over all that well.

Annaleigh Ashford, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Plair, Andrew Rannells, Dan Stevens and Nicola Peltz as the doomed Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten. Philip Shahbaz plays Peter Bogdanovich.

Robert Siegel and Nanjiani executive produce alongside Dylan Sellers, Jenni Konner, Matt Shakman, Emily V. Gordon, Nora Silver and Rajiv Joseph, who wrote the series along with Mehar Sethi.

Shakman directs.

Welcome to Chippendales starts streaming November 22 on Hulu.

Carlos Santana to Perform Alongside Rob Thomas at “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert”

There’s more than a walk in the (Central) park in Carlos Santana’s future…

Amid concern over the Delta coronavirus variant, a mega-concert in Central Park to celebrate New York City’s reopening will go forward as planned next month, with performers including the 74-year-old Mexican-American guitarist/musician.

Carlos Santana

Santana, considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, will perform alongside Rob Thomas. The pair teamed up in 1999 for Smooth“, a dynamic cha-cha stop-start number co-written and sung by Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and laced throughout with Santana’s guitar fills and runs. “Smooth” spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming in the process the last No. 1 single of the 1990s.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined music industry legend Clive Davis, who is co-producing the concert, for a press conference to unveil the details of what de Blasio promised will be a “historic,” “blockbuster” event. Officially titled “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert,” the event is set for August 21 at 5:00 p.m., it will be broadcast live globally on CNN and 80% of tickets will be free.

While de Blasio initially proposed having vaccinated and unvaccinated sections, he said that attendees will be required to present proof of vaccination.

“New York City is back,” de Blasio said. “You can see it, you can feel it, and it’s time to celebrate on the Great Lawn.”

The lineup, which includes many New York natives, so far spans Jon BatisteAndrea Bocelli, Kane Brown, LL Cool J, Elvis Costello, Earth, Wind & Fire joined by Lucky Daye and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Hudson, Wyclef Jean, Journey, The Killers, Gayle King, Don Lemon, Barry Manilow, The New York Philharmonic, Polo G, Carlos Santana joined by Rob Thomas, Paul Simon and Patti Smith duetting with Bruce Springsteen.

“As a born, bred and true New Yorker, I well know how resilient we are and how New York always comes back,” Davis said. “I cannot think of a more appropriate way to celebrate this than an unforgettable concert in the most special venue in the world: the Great Lawn at Central Park. My team, along with our partners at Live Nation, has been hard at work for weeks curating what I submit to you will be a once-in a lifetime event […] It will celebrate a spectacular range of musical genres, styles and eras while including some of the most iconic artists in the history of modern music.”

Davis, who was raised in Brooklyn, is co-producing alongside Live Nation. Restauranteur Danny Meyer, the recently-appointed chairman of the New York City Economic Development Corporation board of directors, is also involved, as is Universal Hip-Hop Museum executive director Rocky Bucano.

“We’re so honored to be part of this event,” added Live Nation regional president Geoff Gordon. “I too have goosebumps after hearing that, even though we’ve been involved in lining this up. Live music has the unique ability to bring us all together, which is really what we’re doing. There’s nothing like a live music experience.”

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Monday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. EST on the new NYC Homecoming Week website, and the Great Lawn has a capacity of 60,000. The 20% of tickets not designated as free are VIP tickets available for purchase. De Blasio said that event workers will be checking for proof of vaccination as attendees enter, with more details to come. Asked by a reporter whether the vaccination requirement means the concert is for attendees aged 12 and over only, de Blasio said, “right now, that’s a fair assumption.”

The event will cap off a reopening celebration dubbed NYC Homecoming Week, during which the City of New York will host concerts in each of the five boroughs starting August 14, leading up to the Great Lawn spectacle on the 21st. The lead-up concerts will be held Aug. 16 at Orchard Beach in The Bronx; Aug. 17 at Richmond County Bank Park in Staten Island; Aug. 19 at Brooklyn Army Terminal in Brooklyn; and Aug. 20 at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.

Gloria Estefan Nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Gloria Estefan has the write stuff of legends…

The 62-year-old Cuban singer/songwriter and former Miami Sound Machine member has been nominated for the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Gloria Estefan

Estefan, a three-time Grammy winner and three-time Latin Grammy, has penned numerousinternational chart-topping hits in English and Spanish, including  “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “1-2-3,” “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” “Here We Are,” “Coming Out of the Dark,” “Con Los Años Que Me Quedan,” “Mi Tierra” and “No Me Dejes de Querer.” 

Additionally, Estefan has penned songs for other artists, including “Let’s Get Loud,” performed by Jennifer Lopez, and “Whenever Wherever,” performed by Shakira. Additionally, she co-wrote “Reach,” one of two official songs of the 1996 Atlanta Games, with Diane Warren.

In all, 24 acts are in contention for the 2020 class. In addition to Estefan, performing nominees include Patti SmithJourneyVince Gill, the Isley Brothers, former Eurythmicsmembers Annie Lennoxand Dave StewartMike LoveBread’s David Gates and Steve MillerThe Neptunes, the creative, innovative production-songwriting duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, rap icons Outkast and rock pioneers R.E.M.Mariah Carey, who co-wrote 17 of her 18 No. 1 hits and earned her first Songwriters Hall nomination last year, is up for the prize again. 

The Songwriters Hall gave The Associated Press the list of nominees Tuesday (Nov. 5), a day ahead of its official announcement.

Non-performing solo nominees are William “Mickey” StevensonRick NowelsSonny CurtisJerry FullerTony MacaulayBob McDill and Roger Nichols. Non-performing songwriting duos nominated include the late Tommy Boyceand Bobby Hart,Lynn Ahrensand Stephen FlahertyL. Russell Brownand the late Irwin Levine, and Kye Flemingand Dennis Morgan.

Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years. Six songwriters, or songwriting groups, will be officially inducted at the Hall’s 51st annual Induction & Awards Gala in New York on June 11, 2020. Eligible members can vote for three non-performing songwriters and three performing songwriters until December 16.

Baez Among the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Joan Baez is celebrating a special feat…

The 75-year-old Mexican American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joan Baez

Baez, a first-time nominee, will be joined by Pearl Jam, JourneyElectric Light OrchestraTupac Shakur and Yes as the shrine’s 2017 inductees.

Baez, whose contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice, began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan BaezJoan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status and stayed on the Billboard and other record album charts for two years.

Her songs of acclaim include “Diamonds & Rust” and covers of Phil Ochs‘ “There but for Fortune” and The Band‘s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“. She is also known for “Farewell, Angelina“, “Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word“, “Forever Young“,”Joe Hill“, “Sweet Sir Galahad” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Joan Baez

Baez, who performed three songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights and the environment.

“I never considered myself to be a rock and roll artist,” said Baez, who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, in a statement. “But as part of the folk music boom which contributed to and influenced the rock revolution of the 60’s, I am proud that some of the songs I sang made their way into the rock lexicon. I very much appreciate this honor and acknowledgement by the Hall of Fame.”

The 32nd annual Rock Hall induction ceremony will take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. SiriusXM will broadcast the ceremony live and it will again be filmed for a later telecast on HBO.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland will open a special exhibit on March 30 to honor the 2017 inductees.

Navarro & His Jane’s Addiction Band Mates Earn First Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination

Dave Navarro is celebrating a special first…

The 49-year-old Mexican American guitarist and his Jane’s Addiction band mates have earned their first-ever Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination.

Dave Navarro & Jane's Addiction

“We’re super excited, but it’s hard to talk about because it’s a nomination. The jury’s still out,” Navarro tells Billboard. “Of course it’s very much an honor and we’d love to be in the Hall, but we don’t want to jinx it. We’re a three-time Grammy-nominated band that has never won the Grammy, and here we are now with another nomination. It’s hard to pull the trigger of excitement just yet, but we’re secretly psyched to be nominated.”

The quartet recently wrapped its Sterling Spoon Anniversary Tour, celebrating its sophomore album, Ritual de lo habitualand the 25th anniversary of Lollapalooza.

They’re one of 19 acts nominated for the Rock Hall’s Class of 2017. And if anyone can feel like a winner just being nominated, Navarro sounds like he means it.

“The company we’re in, it’s pretty spectacular,” he says. “They’re all bands that I either grew up with or grew up listening to. So it’s a pretty big deal for me to see the MC5, the Cars, Journey, Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction all being mentioned. It’s pretty surreal. And ELO, I think that’s a slam-dunk. I don’t think they should even bother nominating ELO, they should just be in and let everyone figure out who else gets in. So it’s all pretty hard to digest, to be honest with you. To be considered one of those bands just makes me want to cry.”

While Jane’s Addiction waits for the early December announcement of the Rock Hall’s five inductees, the group is releasing a Sterling Spoon vinyl box set on October 21, whose six LPs include a set of rarities as well as a live show from 1990. The group also filmed its Sterling Spoon Tour finale on September 23 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre for a concert film whose release date has not yet been determined.

The 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced on Tuesday (Oct. 18) and saw first-time nominations for artists such as Electric Light OrchestraTupac Shakur and Pearl Jam, while artists like ChicChaka Khan and J. Geils Band returned to the list of finalists with hopes of finally entering the elite Hall in 2017.

Rivera to Perform “Valerie” on the 100th Episode of “Glee”

Naya Rivera is preparing to reinterpret one of her most memorable Glee performances…

The 27-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer will offer a new take on her acclaimed performance of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s version of “Valerie” for the Fox musical dramedy’s 100th episode.

Naya Rivera

In the second season episode entitled “Special Education,” Rivera sang lead on the track by The Zutons during the New Directions’ performance at the 2010 Western Ohio Sectional Championship.

Rivera also performed the track in the Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which was released in 2011.

This time around, she’ll perform the song alongside Heather Morris (Brittany).

In addition, Rivera will also perform Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with Morris and Diana Agron (Quinn), and “Be Okay” with Lea Michele.

The music in the two-part episode was chosen by the show’s fans, who were asked to pick 10 of the show’s 30 most beloved performances to be remixed and featured on the series’ landmark episode.

Set to air on March 18 and 25 at 8 p.m., the 100th episode will center on Jane Lynch‘s principal Sue Sylvester, who after years of disdain for the New Directions and Matthew Morrison‘s Will Schuester, finally succeeds in ending the glee club in Lima.

Many original castmembers — Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), Mark Salling (Puck), Dancing With the Stars winner Amber Riley (Mercedes), Agron (Quinn) as well as Kristin Chenoweth (April) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holliday) — will return to say their final goodbyes to Will and each other in the emotional episode.

To honor the milestone, Columbia Records will release Glee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes, which will include brand-new versions of Glee favorites from the original cast — including Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Pink‘s “Raise Your Glass” and the original song “Loser Like Me.”

The album will be released on March 25.

Here’s the complete 100th Glee tracklist:

1. “Keep Holding On”* featuring Mark Salling (Puck)
2. “Valerie”* featuring Naya Rivera (Santana) and Morris (Brittany)
3. “Defying Gravity”* featuring Lea Michele( Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Riley (Mercedes)
4. “Raise Your Glass”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
5. “Toxic”* featuring Rivera (Santana), Morris (Brittany) and Agron (Quinn)
6. “Happy” featuring Paltrow (Holly), Chenoweth (April), Morrison (Will), Darren Criss(Blaine) and Riley (Mercedes)
7. “Party All the Time” featuring Paltrow (Holly)
8. “Total Eclipse of the Heart”* featuring Morrison (Will) and Chenoweth (April)
9. “Loser Like Me”* featuring Criss (Blaine), Kevin McHale (Artie), Chord Overstreet(Sam) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina)
10. “Be Okay” featuring Michele (Rachel) and Rivera (Santana)
11. “I Am Changing” featuring Riley (Mercedes) and Colfer (Kurt)
12. “Just Give Me a Reason” featuring Agron (Quinn) and Salling (Puck)
13. “Don’t Stop Believin’”* featuring Michele (Rachel), Criss (Blaine), Colfer (Kurt), Morrison (Will), McHale (Artie) and Ushkowitz (Tina)

* Season-five version

Glee returns from its midseason break on February 25 in its new night and time on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Boneta Featured in First “Rock of Ages” Clip

It’s no wonder Diego Boneta received CinemaCon’s Rising Star of 2012 Award, especially after the release of the first clip of his highly anticipated musical Rock of Ages

Aimed at building buzz for the U.S. release of the film, Warner Bros. Pictures released the snippet, which shows the 21-year-old Mexican singer/actor and his co-star Julianne Hough shopping for vinyl at a record store before breaking into a head-banging rendition of Foreigner‘s “Jukebox Hero.”

Diego Boneta

Rock of Ages, an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, centers on small town girl Sherrie (Hough) and city boy Drew (Boneta) ,who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the classic hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake and more.

Along with Hough and Boneta, Rock of Ages stars Tom Cruise as rock star Stacee Jaxx, Sherrie and Drew’s idol. Other members of the ensemble include  Malin Akerman, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti and Bryan Cranston.

Directed by Adam Shankman, Rock of Ages will open in theaters nationwide on June 15.