Rock hall reveals nominees for ’24
Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O’Connor and heavy metal’s Prince of Darkness are among the 2024 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a wide musical net that also includes the pop-soul of Sade and Britpoppers Oasis.
Ozzy Osbourne, who led many parents in the 1980s to clutch their pearls with his devil imagery and sludgy music, gets the nod as a solo artist, having already gone into the hall with Black Sabbath. Nominations also were handed to hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, soft rockers Foreigner, singer-guitarist Peter Frampton, alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction and Dave Matthews Band, and dance icons Kool & the Gang.
“Continuing in the true spirit of rock ’n’ roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in a statement.
Ten of the 15 nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Carey,
Cher, Foreigner, Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Kravitz, Oasis, O’Connor, Osbourne and Sade.
Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo,” was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.
Carey, with 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Blige with eight multi-platinum albums and nine Grammy Awards, and Cher — the only artist to have a No. 1 song in each of the past six decades — would help boost the number of women in the hall.
Beyoncé drops new songs: Beyoncé is back with two new country tracks — “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages.”
After a Verizon commercial starring Beyoncé aired during the Super Bowl ended with the superstar saying “They ready, drop the new music,” the question became — was she serious? Later, a cryptic Instagram video with country iconography appeared on her page, teasing “act ii” on March 29.
At the end of the clip, a plucky acoustic guitar riff plays, and Bey’s unmistakable voice kicks in.
The Houston native sings, “This ain’t Texas/ Ain’t no hold ’em/ So lay your cards down down down,” in a Southern twang.
Nolan win Directors Guild Award: Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” on Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars.
Other winners at the ceremony in Los Angeles include Celine Song, for first-time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov for the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol.”
Achievements in scripted and nonscripted television were also recognized, with the drama series prize going to Peter Hoar for “The Last of
Us” episode “Long, Long Time,” and the comedy trophy for Christopher Storer for the “Fishes” episode of “The Bear.”
Feb. 13 birthdays: Actor Kim Novak is 91. Actor Bo Svenson is 83. Actor Stockard Channing is 80. Singer Peter Gabriel is 74. Actor David Naughton is 73. Actor Matt Salinger is 64. Singer Henry Rollins is 63. Actor Neal McDonough is 58. Singer Freedom Williams is 58. Actor Kelly Hu is 56. Actor Mena Suvari is 45.