LUY-Development

Category: Entertainment

  • Natchez Preservation Commission OKs alterations for soon-to-reopen restaurants

    Natchez Preservation Commission OKs alterations for soon-to-reopen restaurants

    NATCHEZ, Miss. –The Natchez Preservation Commission has approved alterations being done to three structures in the north Broadway Street area that moviemakers Tate Taylor and John Norris are developing as an entertainment district.

     

    The commission on Wednesday also approved an addition to the restaurant at Dunleith, the antebellum mansion and estate that’s to reopen soon for overnight lodging, dining and events.

     

    Structural changes in Natchez’ historic district are required to be reviewed and approved by the Preservation Commission to ensure they’re in accords with the city’s architectural standards.

     

    The commission consented to the construction of a temporary deck at The Little Easy — the former Steampunk coffee bistro on High Street — that Norris and Taylor plan to reopen in February as a revamped eatery.

     

    The nine-member commission also OKed minor alterations for Smoot’s Grocery, the bar and music venue on Broadway and High streets that the two developers reopened last year after being temporarily closed by a previous owner.

     

    The largest Taylor-Norris development on Broadway is the renovation of the old train depot, which they’re planning to lease from the city and revive as the restaurant it once was. The commission on Wednesday approved exterior alterations drawn up for it.

     

    For Dunleith’s restaurant –The Castle — that sits behind the main house on Homochitto Street, the Preservation Commission voted to allow the construction of a raised deck on the back of what used to be the estate’s stables. Co-owner Mike Blattner of Natchez said this will provide extra seating for the restaurant to be economically viable when it reopens. He told the commission that Dunleith was losing about $1 million a year before previous owner Mike Worley went bankrupt and was convicted of financial fraud.

     

    Blattner and New Orleans hotelier Joe Jaeger bought Dunleith in 2019 and plan to soon reopen the 1856 mansion and its restaurant for overnight guests, diners and events. Jaeger heads the J Collection, a New Orleans-based company that operates 17 southern hotels and resorts that include the Maison Dupuy Hotel in New Orleans and nearby Nottoway Plantation.

     

    They also plan to purchase the old city-owned Margaret Martin school, a state-designated historic landmark built 94 years ago as Natchez High School adjacent to the Dunleith estate. Negotiations are underway with city officials.

  • Pollstar: Live Events Industry Lost $30B Due To Pandemic

    Pollstar: Live Events Industry Lost $30B Due To Pandemic

    NEW YORK (AP) — Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, concert trade publication Pollstar puts the total lost revenue for the live events industry in 2020 at more than $30 billion.

    Pollstar on Friday released its year-end report, explaining that the live events industry should have hit a record-setting $12.2 billion this year, but instead it incurred $9.7 billion in losses. The company added that the projected $30 billion figure in losses includes “unreported events, ancillary revenues, including sponsorships, ticketing, concessions, merch, transportation, restaurants, hotels, and other economic activity tied to the live events.” Those losses accounted for more than $8 billion.

    In March hundreds of artists announced that their current or upcoming tours would need to be postponed or canceled because of the pandemic. While a small number of performers have played drive-in concerts and others have held digital concerts, the majority of artists have not played live in 2020.

    With just a few months on the road, Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” tops the year’s Top 100 Worldwide Tours list with $87.1 million grossed between Nov. 30 through March 7. John’s tour ranked No. 2 last year with $212 million grossed.

    Celine Dion came in second this year with $71.2 million, followed by Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($58.2 million), U2 ($52.1 million) and Queen + Adam Lambert ($44.6 million). Post Malone, Eagles, Jonas Brothers, Dead & Company and Andrea Bocelli rounded out the Top 10.

    “It’s been an extraordinarily difficult year for the events industry, which has been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. As painful as it is to chronicle the adversity and loss our industry and many of our colleagues faced, we understand it is a critical undertaking toward facilitating our recovery, which is thankfully on the horizon,” Ray Waddell, president of Oak View Group’s Media & Conferences Division, which oversees Pollstar and VenuesNow, said in a statement Friday.

    “With vaccines, better testing, new safety and sanitization protocols, smart ticketing and other innovations, the live industry will be ramping up in the coming months, and we’re sure that at this time next year we’ll have a very different story to tell.”

  • Charlie Brown specials to air on TV, after all, in PBS deal

    Charlie Brown specials to air on TV, after all, in PBS deal

    NEW YORK (AP) — The “Great Pumpkin” never showed on broadcast television this year, but after a deal with PBS, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will return to the air.

    Last month, Apple TV+ became the new home to the beloved Peanuts holiday specials. That sparked an outcry from viewers who were accustomed to annually tuning in on network TV. Apple offered each special to stream for free for a handful of days, but that didn’t stop online petitions from gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures.

    On Wednesday, Apple bowed to the backlash, announcing it had teamed up with PBS for ad-free broadcasts of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (on Nov. 22) and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (on Dec. 13).

    Both specials will also be available for free during three-day windows on Apple TV+ (Nov. 25-27 for “Thanksgiving” and Dec. 11-13 for “Christmas.”) For subscribers, the specials will be available beginning Nov. 18 and Dec. 4, respectively.
  • Connect with us on Social Media

    Connect with us on Social Media

    We LOVE social media, and we know you do also!  Here is how you can follow our stations and personalities:

     

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  • Outlaw Country Artist Billy Joe Shaver Dead At 81

    Outlaw Country Artist Billy Joe Shaver Dead At 81

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Outlaw country singer songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, who wrote songs like “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” has died He was 81.

    His friend Connie Nelson said he died Wednesday in Texas following a stroke.

    Born in Corsicana, Texas, Shaver was among the original group of outlaw country artists in the early ’70s, penning songs for Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall and Willie Nelson.

    Shaver’s lyrics reflected his hardscrabble upbringing in Texas, where he lost part of two fingers while working at a lumber mill. He came to Nashville in 1968 and was signed as a writer to Bare’s publishing company.

    His big break came when Jennings recorded several of Shaver’s songs for his 1973 album “Honky Tonk Heroes,” which helped popularize the outlaw country genre. Shaver wrote songs that were covered by Elvis Presley, Patty Loveless, George Jones, Tex Ritter, Tennessee Ernie Ford and John Anderson.

    Anderson had a No. 4 country hit with Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal,” and Johnny Rodriquez took Shaver’s song, “I Couldn’t Be Me Without You,” to No. 3 on the country chart. He wrote “Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me” about Nelson.

  • Jewish Museum To Honor Magicians Houdini, David Copperfield

    Jewish Museum To Honor Magicians Houdini, David Copperfield

    PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia-based National Museum of American Jewish History will honor two men who entertained the world with their magic.

    The museum announced on Thursday it will induct illusionists Harry Houdini and David Copperfield into its hall of fame on Dec. 12. The museum says the award recognizes the achievements and contributions of American Jews “who share and exemplify the ideals of the stories explored in the museum.”

    Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Hungary in 1874 and came to America when he was 4 years old. The son of a rabbi, he toured the U.S. and the world as a magician until his death in 1926 at age 52.

    Copperfield, 64, was born David Kotkin in New Jersey. He has earned 21 Emmy Awards, and will accept the honor from his International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas.

    “From immigrant Harry Houdini to first-generation American David Copperfield, this event clearly demonstrates what’s possible when individuals are simply given the chance to be great,” said museum trustee Sharon Tobin Kestenbaum.

    Previous recipients of the museum’s award include the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and director Steven Spielberg.

  • Stolen Mao Calligraphy Worth Millions Found Cut In Half

    Stolen Mao Calligraphy Worth Millions Found Cut In Half

    HONG KONG (AP) — A calligraphy scroll by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong estimated to be worth millions of dollars was cut in half after it was stolen last month in a high-profile burglary in Hong Kong, police said.

    The scroll was found damaged when police arrested a 49-year-old man in late September on suspicion of handling stolen property. The South China Morning Post, quoting an unidentified police source, reported that the scroll was cut in two by a buyer who had purchased it for 500 Hong Kong dollars ($65) and had believed the scroll to be counterfeit.

    “According to our investigation, someone thought that the calligraphy was too long,” Tony Ho, senior superintendent of the police Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, said at a news conference Tuesday. “It was difficult to show it, to display it, and that’s why it was cut in half.”

    Police said the scroll was part of a multimillion-dollar theft by three burglars from collector Fu Chunxiao’s apartment in September. Fu, who is well known for his collection of stamps and revolutionary art, was in mainland China at the time of the burglary and has not been in Hong Kong since January because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The burglars took 24,000 Chinese postage stamps, 10 coins and seven calligraphy scrolls from Fu’s apartment, where he stored his collections. Fu estimated that the Mao calligraphy was worth about $300 million and that the theft totaled about $645 million. No independent appraisals of the collections were available.

    Police have arrested three men in relation to the burglary and on suspicion of providing assistance to criminals. At least two people connected to the burglary are still at large, Ho said.

    Although some of the stolen items have been found, the 24,000 stamps and six other calligraphy scrolls have not been recovered, police said.

  • Oklahoma jail employees charged for playing ‘Baby Shark’ on repeat

    Oklahoma jail employees charged for playing ‘Baby Shark’ on repeat

    “It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario,” Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said.

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two former Oklahoma jail employees and their supervisor face misdemeanor cruelty charges after investigators found they forced inmates to stand handcuffed for hours and listen to the children’s song “Baby Shark” on repeat, a prosecutor said Monday.

    At least four inmates were secured to a wall with their hands cuffed behind them while the song played on a loop at a loud volume for hours, The Oklahoman reported. The separate incidents occurred in November and December, according to court records.

    The misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against former Oklahoma County jail employees Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles, both 21, and their supervisor, Christopher Raymond Hendershott, 50.

    “It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario,” Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said. “I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior.”

    Butler and Miles are accused of imposing the discipline and Hendershott is accused of knowing about it but not stopping it, the newspaper reported. Court records do not list an attorney for any of them.

    Sheriff P.D. Taylor said Monday that Butler and Miles resigned during an internal investigation and that Hendershott retired.

    “We don’t tolerate it,” Taylor said of the mistreatment. “We always did an excellent job policing ourselves.”

    The “Baby Shark” song gained huge popularity two years ago after the company Pinkfong released its first video online. The video has since been viewed more than 6.5 billion times.

  • Reba McEntire & Darius Rucker take over as CMA Awards hosts

    Reba McEntire & Darius Rucker take over as CMA Awards hosts

    It will be Darius Rucker’s first time as CMA Awards show host

     

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country stars Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are promising laughs and good music when they co-host this year’s CMA Awards in November.

    McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Famer and veteran host of country music awards shows, returns after hosting last year with Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. It will mark her fifth year as a host. Rucker, who crossed over from the rock world about 15 years ago and is a Grand Ole Opry member, will be a first-time host of the CMAs when the show airs on Nov. 11 on ABC from Nashville, Tennessee.

    “We both love to giggle and laugh and cut up. Whatever they give us to say, I have a feeling that we’re going to be adding a little bit of our own kind of sense of humor,” said McEntire, during an interview with Rucker with The Associated Press.

    “One of the cool things about getting to do this with Reba is we can both be the straight man, or we can be the person who delivers the joke,” said Rucker.

    One of the first people that Rucker said he was planning on telling about his new co-hosting gig was country icon Charley Pride. Pride was the first Black country artist to co-host the awards show, in 1975 with Glen Campbell. Pride had won the CMA’s top prize, entertainer of the year, in 1971 and paved the way for artists like Rucker decades later.

    “When I started in this business, I was at my very first CMAs when I won the best new artist,” said Rucker, of his 2009 win. “I said to my manager, ‘I want to host this someday.’ I was joking. And to be here 14 years later hosting with Reba freaking McEntire? Wow!”

    While COVID-19 restrictions would make the show’s production different this year, the pair said they were aiming to deliver an uplifting night of music and entertainment.

    “We’re trying to keep it upbeat and light. We as a country, we as a nation, we as a world, we need entertainment,” said McEntire. “I think people sitting at home in front of their TV screens or their computers, I think they want to see what we can deliver.”

    The show will be airing from a new venue, the Music City Center, a convention center just across the street from the show’s regular home at the Bridgestone Arena. Rucker said they will be addressing the pandemic and the struggles that many people have experienced this year, but he said the focus will be on the music.

  • Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs Top CMT Noms

    Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs Top CMT Noms

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ashley McBryde, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett top the 2020 CMT Music Awards nominations with three each.

    In nominations announced Wednesday for the pandemic-delayed show, 14 videos are vying for the top prize of video of the year. The fan-voted show will air on CMT and other networks on Oct. 21 with outdoor performances.

    The Chicks return to the list of nominees for the first time since 2007 for their video for “Gaslighter” and country icon Tanya Tucker gets her first ever nomination for “Bring My Flowers Now,” both nominated for video of the year. Also nominated in the category are Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Old Dominion, Carrie Underwood and Blanco Brown, who is recovering after a vehicle accident earlier this month.

    A number of artists are getting their first ever nominations this year, including Caylee Hammack, Gabby Barrett, Ingrid Andress, Riley Green and Travis Denning. The Highwomen, a group made up of Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires, also got their first nomination for group video.

    With categories that include collaborations and performances from other CMT shows, pop stars Halsey and Gwen Stefani both earned their first ever nominations for their duets with Ballerini and Blake Shelton, respectively. Electronic producer and DJ Marshmello also earned a nomination in collaborative video for the crossover hit “One Thing Right” with Kane Brown.

    Pop star Justin Bieber has a chance to win another CMT Music Award for his duet with Dan + Shay on “10,000 Hours,” after winning one as a teenage heartthrob in 2011 for “That Should Be Me” featuring Rascal Flatts.