ADELE OFFICIATES, PERFORMS AT HER BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING – (02/17/2020)

Adele performed her signature hit at her best friend’s wedding Saturday night and she officiated the ceremony as well.

Adele officiated the wedding of childhood friend Laura Dockrill and Hugo White, a member of the band The Maccabees, at a London pub Saturday

Photos and videos were posted by guests showing Adele and Laura singing and dancing together. Laura even joined Adele to sing “Rolling in the Deep” with the wedding band. Adele’s song, “My Same,” is written about Dockrill.

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine was among the guests, and video of the performance shows Florence singing along to every word of Adele’s 2011 No. 1 hit.

Adele, showing off her recent weight loss, wore her hair slicked back in a long ponytail, a short-sleeved white top and a flouncy floral skirt. During the ceremony, she also sported a fascinator – a small, elaborate hat that women wear to British weddings.

Adele also told the crowd to expect her next album “in September.” The follow-up to 2015’s 25 has been rumored for a while. It has been four years since the release of the Grammy-winning album. Earlier this year, her managers, Jonathan and Lucy Dickins, hinted new music coming from the British songstress before the end of 2020.

Adele’s plans for new music come amid her recent weight loss transformation. The singer first revealed her new physique at Drake’s birthday party last October, and continued to show off her slimmer figure in photos over the holidays.

In January, she reportedly told a fan she ran into while on vacation in Anguilla with Harry Styles and James Corden that she’s lost 100 pounds, calling it “a crazy positive experience.”

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Full Story: Billboard

GIGI HADID CONFIRMS ZAYN IS HER ‘VALENTINE’ IN INSTAGRAM POST – (02/17/2020)

It appears that Zayn and model Gigi Hadid are back on again.

Gigi seemingly confirmed their relationship status on her photography Instagram page, @gisposable, on Valentine’s Day. She posted a photo of Zayn from December 2019, captioning it, “HEY VALENTINE.”

Last month, E! News reported that the two had gotten back together following their January 2019 split. “Gigi and Zayn got back together right before the holidays in December,” the source told E! in January 2020. “Zayn has been reaching out to Gigi for the last month, and she is giving him another chance.”

Zayn and Gigi were first linked back in November 2015 before publicly ending things in March 2018. They then reconnected in October 2018 before they were on the outs again in January 2019.

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Full Story: E!

AMANDA BYNES ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT: Amanda Bynes has largely been out of the spotlight amid struggles with mental health and addiction, but the 33-year-old popped up on social media Friday to announce her engagement. TBD who the lucky person is, but she did share a shot of her sizable sparkler, and captioned it: “Engaged to tha love of my life.”

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ PREMIERES – (02/17/2020)

American Idol is back. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well host Ryan Seacrest returned for Season 18 last night. It was the show’s third season to air on ABC. Bobby Bones will return to his role as in-house mentor.

The two-hour episode offered some impressive auditions, the usual sob stories, and a few wacky auditions. The eight singers sent through to Hollywood from the Season 18 premiere:

Doug Kiker, 27 (Mobile, Alabama): A garbage man who has never performed in front of anyone, except the back of the garbage truck, Kiker said he was there to audition for his 2-year-old daughter and show her that he can be someone. Kiker was so nervous the judges got Seacrest to take him for a warm-up. After performing Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road” Perry asked him to show “his range” but he wasn’t sure what that was. Byran sat down at the piano where he guided Kiker. In the end, all three judges agreed that Kiker deserved a ticket to Hollywood.

Camryn Leigh Smith, 16 (Acworth, Georgia): Camryn, a church worship leader really shocked with her vocals and guitar playing while performing Jessie J’s “Big White Room.” Luke Bryan compared her to Katy Perry, and she got an easy pass to Hollywood.

Francisco Martin, 18 (San Francisco): A pre-law student with self-confidence issues, Martin was a bundle of nerves when he entered the audition room. Lionel and Luke did their best to calm the kid down, with the former giving him a hug and the latter jokingly checking his pulse. As soon Martin gave the judges a smooth rendition of Maggie Rogers’ “Alaska,” they were sold. He even treated them to an original song about an Australian “friend” who visited him over the summer. The judges think Martin could be Top 10, or even Top 5, material.

Nick Merico, 23 (Los Angeles) Former Nickelodeon star Nick Merico returned for another shot at the big time. The Every Witch Way actor appeared on the show last season, impressing the judges with his talents and earning plenty of praise from Katy Perry for his good looks. He left the show early though, which the judges still hold against him. Before he sang, the judges asked him why he left the show early. “Some personal things went down,” he said. “I had to figure out a lot of things and really take the last year as a boot camp.” Nick performed “You Say” by Lauren Daigle in his audition this time. After performing, Richie had some choice words. “We have a big problem, because, honestly, I don’t like you,” Richie said. “For some weird reason, you’re not sitting well with me. I don’t like your voice.” “I’m being honest. I’m being very honest,” Richie said. “I don’t like your attitude and I don’t really think you’re going to make it in Hollywood.” Richie then asked Merico how he felt. “I feel hurt,” Merico replied. “Good, that’s exactly what I want you to feel like,” Richie said. “Because I want you to understand what it feels like when people don’t adore you.” Perry agreed, suggesting that Merico could earn more support if he came off as a little more humble.

Arthur Gunn (real name Dibesh Pokharel) Gunn moved from Nepal to the United States after high school and is currently living in Kansas, where he developed a taste for bluegrass. Gunn delivered a Bob Dylan cover, “Girl from the North Country.” which had all three judges silently nodding and looking reflective. “Just give me another song, just to get a little more of an idea of what you do,” urged Richie. Gunn launched into a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” Richie and Bryan high-fived each other and Bryan said: “You want to open for me in Detroit, Michigan, in two weeks?” “You are the story that we need to tell,” marveled Richie. “I don’t think we even need a vote. You are going to Hollywood!”

Louis Knight, 19: This singer-songwriter from London, now working as a part-time pizza delivery boy in the United States, charmed the judges with an emotional original song about a friend’s suicide. They collectively suggested that he might be the biggest star that Idol has ever seen in three seasons on ABC.

Meghan Fitton, 24 (Foxborough, Massachusetts): Meghan Fitton auditioned along with her friend Bryan who accompanied her on guitar. Fitton teaches spin and barre classes while auditioning for musical theater shows and cruise line performance jobs. This self-proclaimed Bachelor super fan performed Alan Stone’s “Love Where You’re At.”

Just Sam, 20 (Harlem) Just Sam, a subway performer, got off to a rocky start, breaking down midway through a performance of Lauren Daigle’s “You Say.” She made a quick recovery though, turning out a beautiful rendition of Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”

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Full Story: USA Today

LEANN RIMES COVERS BILLIE EILISH’S ‘WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER’ – (02/17/2020)

LeAnn Rimes has delivered her own raw take on Billie Eilish’s track “When the Party’s Over.”

Rimes posted her cover video on YouTube on Friday.

“Happy LovE day, everyone!” LeAnn shared on Instagram. “In the next installment of the #LovESessions I cover one of my favorite @billieeilish songs, ‘when the party’s over’! Watch the full video on my @youtube channel.”

Filmed at her Los Angeles home by her husband, actor Eddie Cibrian, Rimes is shown seated alone at the head of her dining room. The stripped down track features Rimes singing the song on her own in a dimly lit room.

“This song has a haunting quality about it that has always moved me,” she added. “When dreaming up the way to cover this song, that haunting quality is something I wanted to expand on. Singing it acapella does just that and there’s also an intimacy, a vulnerable connection from artist to listener, almost like you were hearing me sing a deeply confessional journal entry.”

Each Friday in the month of February, Rimes has released a new cover of one of her favorite love songs. The new performance follows Rimes’ cover of Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me.”

Eilish just won Best New Artist at the 2020 Grammys at age 18, making her the second youngest winner of the award. The youngest is Rimes, who was only 14 when she won the award in 1997.

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Full Story: Billboard

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