Stars align for Petty’s birthday bash
Tom Petty’s peers and admirers will celebrate what would’ve been the late rock icon’s 70th birthday with a star-studded virtual festival on Friday.
Set to stream on Petty’s website and on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, “Tom Petty’s 70th Birthday Bash” will feature performances and appearances by Stevie Nicks, Beck, Adam Sandler, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Eddie Vedder, the Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, Margo Price and Post Malone, among many others. Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, both of Petty’s long-running band the Heartbreakers, are set to perform as well.
The show, which organizers said will also include previously unseen live footage from Petty and the Heartbreakers, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern on Friday. Earlier that day, SiriusXM will air a Petty tribute with performances by acts including the Killers, Jason Isbell, the Raconteurs and Kurt Vile.
“Tom Petty’s 70th Birthday Bash” comes three years after Petty’s death from an accidental overdose in Los Angeles in 2017. That year, fans held a birthday celebration in the musician’s hometown of Gainesville, Florida, that became an annual tradition; this year’s installment will take place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rappers’ photo altered: An altered photo of rappers Ice Cube and 50 Cent in hats that appear to show support for President Donald Trump circulated widely on social media Tuesday, fueled in part by a tweet by Eric Trump.
“Two great, courageous Americans,” Trump’s son tweeted. He removed the tweet with a photo of the two rappers in hats saying “Trump 2020” after being called out by Ice Cube on
Twitter.
In the original photo, both entertainers were wearing baseball caps with sports logos. Ice Cube’s hat says “Big3,” a reference to a 3-on-3 basketball league he co-founded, and 50 Cent wears one with the New York Yankees logo.
The manipulated image was shared thousands of times on Twitter and Facebook since it began gaining attention on Monday.
“This is the start of a really bad week for the Democrats,” one Twitter user said on a post with the altered photo that had more than 8,000 shares Monday.
Director exits ‘Wicked’ film adaptation: The long-gestating film adaptation of the Broadway hit “Wicked” has hit another snag. Director Stephen Daldry is exiting the project, a studio representative confirmed Tuesday.
The industry trade website Deadline first reported the news.
The “Billy Elliot” director has been associated with the adaptation for years, going back as far as 2012. Writer Winnie Holzman, who wrote the musical, wrote the script with “Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
Universal Pictures earlier this year removed “Wicked” from its release schedule. It was last slated for a Dec. 22, 2021, theatrical launch.
No cast has been officially announced.
Oct. 22 birthdays: Actor Christopher Lloyd is 82. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 77. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 68. Actor Bob Odenkirk is 58. Director Spike Jonze is 51. Rapper Tracey Lee is 50. Actor Carmen Ejogo is 47. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 45. Drummer Zac Hansonis 35. Actor Corey Hawkins is 32. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 30.