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Day in Pop Report for 03/10/2015


The Simpsons Co-Creator Sam Simon Dead at 59
(Radio.com) Behind-the-scenes TV legend Sam Simon died on Monday at age 59, after a long battle with cancer. He worked on a number of classic shows including Barney Miller, Taxi, Cheers, It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Drew Carey Show.

He also was the co-creator of The Simpsons, one of the most enduring and long-running shows in TV history. Besides that, he was also a guy who cared a lot about animals, mainly dogs.

He started the Sam Simon Foundation to provide a variety of free surgeries to cats and dogs belonging to low-income families, as well as to rescue dogs from shelters and humane societies to become hearing dogs for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Upon hearing of his passing, Simpsons co-creator Al Jean tweeted, "If you would like to honor Sam's memory, do something nice for the next animal you meet. An enormous loss."

Former Simpsons writer Conan O'Brien tweeted "Sam Simon's contribution to the spirit of sharp, well-observed comedy is incalculable. Awful to lose such a gifted & genuinely good guy." Read more here.

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Big Sean Announces Spring Tour
(Radio.com) Before Big Sean hits the road with J. Cole this summer, he has revealed that he will open with a string of spring tour dates behind new album Dark Sky Paradise.

The rapper announced via his Instagram over the weekend that he'll play a few shows starting later this month and stretching into April and May across the U.S. and Canada, starting with a March 19 set at South Padre Island, Texas.

The tour will include a stop at the MTV Woodie Awards on March 20 and is currently set to conclude May 24 in Shakopee, Minn., though more dates may be announced before his run with J. Cole, kicking off in July.

He's touring behind Dark Sky Paradise, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 173,000. Doing so, it became his first No. 1 album on the chart. See the tour dates here.

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Suge Knight Alleged Hit and Run Video Surfaces
(Radio.com) A new online video has emerged which appears to depict Suge Knight running over two men with his car in a parking lot in Compton in late January.

TMZ obtained and posted the video, which is extremely graphic--it depicts the men walking up to a red pickup truck, which strikes one of them head-on after a few seconds. Then the driver backs up and hits the other two men being struck by a red pickup truck after walking up to the vehicle.

One of the men was killed in the incident. Knight, 49, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run. He remains in jail, and has been denied bail. Watch the video here.

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Miley Cyrus and Wayne Coyne Tease New Song Collaboration
(Radio.com) One of music's least-expected friendships in Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne have proved they make a good team over the past year or so: First with their live collaborations during the Bangerz tour, then with their work together on the band's Beatles tribute, With a Little Help From My Fwends.

Now, the unlikely duo are teaming up again with new music. As for what form that will take? Coyne posted a teaser on Instagram of Miley singing in the studio. The new song has a waltzy pace with Miley pondering, "Why do people only show forgiveness/ When they wanna sound cool in a song?"

Will the song be on Miley's follow-up to Bangerz? Or will the Flaming Lips release it? The details are unclear but Coyne did talk a little about their collaboration and his band's work in a Billboard interview last week.

"At the moment we just sort of work on things as they come up, so part of this seems like something we're working on with Miley, but we're also working on it as a production," he said. "We make it as a song and then she gets added to it, we add more to it, and then she gets added to it again. I almost think it might be the series of songs that are Miley Cyrus songs, Flaming Lips songs on her record, then there's the series of the same songs on our record. Ours sound like the Flaming Lips and hers sound like Miley Cyrus, but they're the same songs." Check out the Instagram preview post here.

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Bobbi Kristina's Boyfriend Nick Gordon Interviewed By Dr. Phil
(Radio.com) Bobbi Kristina Brown's boyfriend, Nick Gordon is speaking out about his relationship with Whitney Houston's daughter in a new TV interview. Joined by his mom, Gordon sat down with Dr. Phil for his TV show, which will air March 11. A clip that has been revealed ahead of time doesn't give away much, but it does give the public a look at Gordon's mental state.

In the 30-second teaser, Gordon talks about Houston and Bobbi Kristina, getting teary as he says, "I miss Krissy and Whitney so much. I want them back."

Later in the clip, Gordon says "I hate Bobby Brown," which isn't much of a surprise. Brown has said that Gordon and his daughter were not married and reportedly has kept him away from the hospital in Atlanta where Bobbi Kristina is staying.

In the clip, Gordon is seen visibly shaken, crying out and yelling, revealing that he has been drinking more since Bobbi Kristina's accident. Dr. Phil soon turns the interview into an intervention, even advising that he goes to rehab immediately after the filming.

Leolah Brown, Bobbi Kristina's aunt, was not happy with news that Dr. Phil was meeting with Gordon. On Saturday (March 7) she took to her Facebook to write, "With all due respect, Nick Gordon is under investigation for attempted murder of my niece Bobbi Kristina Brown. Until this investigation is completed by law enforcement, I would ask that you or anyone else not provide this individual a platform to spin this situation to his benefit." Read more and watch the clip here.

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AWOLNATION Release 'Windows' Video and Announce Tour
AWOLNATION have released a music video for their new track "Windows" from their forthcoming album "Run" and they have announced a North American tour.

The album will be released March 17th. Watch the new video here. The group will be kicking off the tour with an appearance at the Pot of Gold Music Festival in Tempe, AZ on March 13th and concluding the trek on August 1st in Los Angeles, CA at the Hollywood Palladium.

The mostly spring and summer tour will also include several music festival appearances including Buzzfest in Woodlands, TX, Edgefest in Frisco, TX, Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Sunfest in West Palm Beach, BottleRock Music Festival in Napa, Ca, Bonnaroo, Firefly Music Fest in Dover, DE, Kaaboo Music Festival in San Diego and more. See the tour dates here.

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Weird Al Yankovic Duets With 13-Year-Old
(Radio.com) "Weird Al" Yankovic teamed up with a special guest for his 1985 song "Yoda" this weekend (March 8) at the Night of Too Many Stars. Dressed like a Jedi, Weird Al came out to sing his Star Wars parody of The Kinks' "Lola" with 13-year-old pianist and singer Jodi DiPiazza.

The young girl previously performed on the telethon two years ago, when she joined Katy Perry for a rendition of "Firework." By the end of the song, Al and Piazza were joined by a whole choir of kids getting down to the song.


Will Forte was also there to help Jon Bon Jovi sing his hit "Wanted Dead or Alive," helping by shouting "wanted" and texting inbetween. Gilbert Gottfried, Al Roker and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog also joined in as backup singers, taking turns with the "wanted." Read more and watch video here.

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Brad Paisley Jams With Online Video Fan Blaze
(Radio.com) Brad Paisley is a man of his word. In January, after learning of a 21-year-old guitar player named Blaze, who made a video professing his desire to jam with Paisley, the country singer followed through on his promise that he would gladly jam with Blaze.

After sending a tweet, offering to jam at Guitar Center with the young musician, Paisley went well beyond his promise of just one meeting with the guitarist. He also invited him onstage to play at his concert on March 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the two alternated taking lead on guitar with some impressive riffs.

According to The Boot, Paisley and Blaze shared the stage at his concert and played Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Pride and Joy," Joe Walsh's 'Rocky Mountain Way" and Paisley's 'River Bank" and 'Alcohol." Watch video here.

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Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking Ball' Wax Statue Revealed
(Radio.com) More exclusive than the Grammys, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or even the Hollywood Walk of Fame is getting a figure at Madam Tussauds wax museum, which has a number of locations, including the original London spot and as well as Hollywood, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The newest entry to the Las Vegas branch of the popular tourist attraction: Miley Cyrus.

Yes, the former Hannah Montana will be featured as a new statue in the Vegas museum, as a replica of her iconic "Wrecking Ball" music video. The depiction has Cyrus clothed, but riding the construction tool just like the video.

The actual exhibit will stand ten feet tall, from the bottom of the ball to the top of Cyrus' head, with the actual chain extending another 30 feet into the air. According to the museum, it took a team of 20 artists more than six months to complete. (via Billboard)

See the wax statue here.

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Death Cab for Cutie Releases New Song 'The Ghosts of Beverly Drive'
(Radio.com) Death Cab For Cutie are yet another song closer to the release of their new album Kintsugi. Their latest taste is a song called "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive."

The track, which follows up "No Room in Frame," "Black Sun" and the band's live previews of other songs, is a lot bouncier than its title leads on, That's mostly due to the crunchy guitar work, which serves as a sad reminder that this album is founding member Chris Walla's last.

'I think early on we were trying to negotiate a number of different possibilities of how it could work," vocalist Ben Gibbard recently said in an interview with Stereogum on the topic of Walla continuing to tour with the band. 'I don't think it would be good for morale to have someone come in after being gone for two years or whatever, play some guitar, and then leave again�I think that time will tell what this band will be creatively next time we make a record."

Listen here.

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Mumford & Sons Reveal New Rock Sound With 'Believe'
(Radio.com) The dawning of a new era of Mumford & Sons is upon us with "Believe." The first single from the band's upcoming album Wilder Mind, the song hit radio airwaves Monday afternoon, March 9, and it most certainly represents a departure from the band's bluegrass-tinged beginnings, much like the band suggested in a teaser video last week and a subsequent interview with Rolling Stone during which they announced they had ditched much of their old sound in favor of more traditional rock elements.

"Believe" lends itself most to Coldplay at its beginning, though guitarist (formerly: banjo) Winston Marshall eventually careens in with U2-styled guitar on a solo--yes, a solo! There are drums, too--rather than the usual stomping bass drum-and-cymbal percussion that underlies most Mumford songs.

"Say something/ say something/ something like you love me," frontman Marcus Mumford sings over the driving percussion and cascading electric guitar. Read more here.

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Kanye West KanyeDance Meme Goes Viral
(Radio.com) Watch out, Internet--there's a new Kanye West meme hitting the digital streets, and it's just getting started. #KanyeDancing blew up Sunday on Vine after footage of Kanye dancing his heart out at a show in Paris emerged online.

There's something universal about the tempo and range of his dance moves, where they somehow match up with practically any song you might choose. He's the perfect enthusiastic everyman dancer.

Avid fans quickly took things to the next level, mashing up the footage of West popping and locking with six-second clips of songs. Songs that have been matched up with his moves so far include Ginuwine's "Pony," Usher's "You Don't Have To Call" and Cassie's "Me & U."

Watch the original footage of Kanye's moves from the show and some of the best Vine mashups so far here.

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Big Sean Joins Ariana Grande On Stage
(Radio.com) On Saturday night (March 7), Ariana Grande's Honeymoon Tour stopped in Detroit, providing her a good opportunity to share a romantic date night with her boyfriend and Detroit native Big Sean--on stage, of course.

The Detroit rapper made his way back home in time to catch Grande's show, and came on stage as she was floating above it on a cloud-shape platform while performing her song "Best Mistake," reports Billboard.

Three songs later and Sean was back on stage, joining her for their collaboration "Right There" her 2013 album, Yours Truly. The two shared a kiss, and Big Sean addressed the crowd: "I love y'all," he announced. "Make some noise for my girl Ariana Grande, y'all!"

His mom may or may not have been there with him, and when TMZ caught up to the pair afterward' well, the exchange is pretty adorable in the "mom, get out of my room!" sort of way. Watch the video here.

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Jason Derulo Premieres New Song 'Want to Want Me'
(Radio.com) Get ready for Jason Derulo to heat up the radio with the release of his instantly catchy new single "Want to Want Me." The song is likely the first release of Derulo's upcoming full-length album, which is rumored for a summer release.

Derulo displays a silky falsetto in the song's verses over a percolating bass line before opening up into a huge singalong chorus heavy with an '80s pop/new wave feel (complete with a quick homage to INXS's 1987 hit, "Need You Tonight" in the intro) that's sure to drive the track onto playlists and charts over the coming weeks.

There's no indication of when exactly fans can expect that new album to drop, Derulo has said that he'll use the opportunity to address his breakup with ex-girlfriend and fellow pop star, Jordin Sparks. Read more and listen to the track here.

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Trace Adkins Lands Role on NBC Drama 'The Night Shift'
(Radio.com) Though most know Trace Adkins from his country music career, his film and television acting work has long been another passion of the Louisiana native. This of course reached its peak with his appearances on Celebrity Apprentice (which he won in 2004) and Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars, but his next role just might be his most important yet.

Adkins will guest on the NBC medical drama The Night Shift where he will be playing a military veteran, a role that seems like a good fit for Atkins based on his real life role as a spokesperson for the Wounded Warrior project.

According to The Wrap, Atkins "will play the leader of a therapy group attended by Dr. TC Callahan, one of the show's main characters, portrayed by actor Eoin Macken," on the show's second season. Read more here.

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Eli Young Band Talk 'Turn It On' EP
(Radio.com) The Eli Young Band originally had no intention to release any new material this month. But the four members of the Texas-based group were recently in the studio working on music to follow up their 2014 release 10,000 Towns, and their label Republic Nashville immediately loved what they heard.

Now four of those brand-new songs are included on the group's new EP Turn It On, which is being released today (March 10). "We felt like we were onto something as far as the next step as the Eli Young Band," frontman Mike Eli tells Radio.com, sitting in his tour bus with his bandmates during a stop in Nashville, Tenn. for the 2015 Country Radio Seminar.

"We just recorded these songs in January, so it's a fast turnaround," Eli continued. "The label came in and heard what we were doing and really liked it and wanted to release the single and get it out as quick as possible. They really fast-tracked it, faster than anything we've ever done."

We're speaking on the Eli Young Band's tour bus, which is parked outside Nashville honky tonk The Stage. Fittingly, current single and title track "Turn It On" was written on this very same bus by Eli, bandmate James Young and cowriters Rodney Clawson and Matt Dragstrem.

"I was actually sitting right here," Eli says from the left window-seat booth on the bus. "It started off as this jangly Fleetwood Mac-sounding thing, and melodically it was somewhere vocally that I hadn't gone before." Eli calls the song "fun" and says that writing it on the bus helped give it that feel. "We knew it was going to be this fun tune to play live."

The band all agree that they enjoy playing more upbeat music during their live show. So much so that they've been consciously trying to write and select songs that will work in a live setting. Eli says they've been testing out the new songs like "Turn It On" and "Drink You Up" on the road, and each song has been well-received.

"It's always fun to see a song when nobody knows it, and [then] see the progression [once it reaches] radio and gets to where they start to sing it back to you," Chris Thompson adds. "It's an awesome feeling." Read more here.

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Jake Owen Cuts His Hair Is Even Shorter
(Radio.com) Jake Owen has been making waves--not by surfing but with his haircuts lately. The "What We Ain't Got Singer" followed his mother's wishes to cut off his long locks back in December and shocked the country world with his short haircut.

On Friday, (March 6) he surprised us all once again after threatening that he would cut it all off and then going through with it. Owen debuted his new, much shorter look, on Facebook and Twitter.

In December, Owen gave his first interview since his initial haircut. During his chat with KMLE (a CBS Radio station) he discussed his new locks.

"I don't even know what the back looks like!" he exclaimed, doing a twirl for the camera to show it off. 'I'll tell you what the weirdest thing for me is, is seeing my neck. I've never seen that before, you know?"

So why the cut? 'It gets long, and my mom's always like, 'You need to cut your hair.' It wasn't like I was going to trim it, I was going to just drastically do it."

Read more and see the photo here.

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Lindsay Lohan Attempts to 'Break the Internet with Clothes On'
(Radio.com) On Sunday, March 7, Lindsay Lohan posted a photo of herself in wide-leg black trousers, a black wide-brimmed felt hat and a see-through purple lace top that was mostly open in the front. Accompanying it, Lohan posted, "Break the internet with clothes on. #majorlooks"

The internet remains unbroken. The problem? Not the amount of clothing Lohan is wearing but the position of the photo. It's a selfie taken a little too far back from the mirror to give us a good look at the provocative top or any details of the outfit at all.

This high-fashion look seems to be a solid one, though, and will look great when she sports a variation of it at Coachella. She tweeted " Break the Internet with clothes on. #majorlooks http://t.co/5BgzbsKC4N- Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) March 07, 2015" See the photo here.

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