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BOTTLE COUNT: 20
Interscope Records will release ROCKETMAN: Music From The Motion Picture. The set sees celebrated producer and composer Giles Martin re-interpreting and re-imagining Elton John’s iconic hits, tailoring the music specifically to support the narrative of Paramount Pictures’ upcoming major motion picture, ROCKETMAN, with a truly show stopping vocal performance from lead actor Taron Egerton. The first track from the album, “Rocket Man,” was Zane Lowe’s World Record today on Apple Music’s Beats 1. Fans can pre-order ROCKETMAN: Music From The Motion Picture now and receive “Rocket Man” instantly. The video for “Rocket Man” premiered today on Good Morning America. Watch the video HERE.
Elton John says: “It was so important that the music I composed and recorded had to be sung by Taron. I wanted his interpretation of me, through Bernie’s lyrics & my music – not just acting. I left Taron in the hands of Giles Martin, who I trusted implicitly because he’s brilliant. I didn’t want to be in Taron’s shadows, watching over the process, I trusted them to do what they needed to do, artistically, and listening back I’ve been astonished with the results. Getting the music right was the most important thing, as the songs in the film are integral to the story.”
“The beauty of having Elton involved with the film is we’ve been able to work with him to see how far we can take these classic songs” says Taron Egerton. “Giles Martin has impeccable taste and massive skills to bring the songs to a place where they are faithful and daring as well.”
“The great thing about Elton is that he is a true artist and he wants people to expand on his work – he wants interpretations done, it’s refreshing for him, says Giles Martin. “We had scope to play around with things and think how we address the songs. The songs are the story of the movie, the heartbeat of what happens. Once the songs start a whole world opens up. In Taron I’ve never known a singer who dedicates himself so much to the process. I don’t think anyone else could have played Elton.”
Tasked with taking Elton’s unparalleled back catalogue and reimagining it to fit the film’s narrative, soundtrack producer Martin worked closely with the filmmakers, supervising all the music for the production and pulling a vocal masterclass from Egerton in the studio. From transforming Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’ into an epic ensemble piece, to morphing ‘I Want Love’ into a heart-breaking moment of conflict around little Reggie’s family meal, each track has been sculpted to form a unique part of the narrative of this most incredible of stories. The soundtrack also contains a brand-new Elton John and Bernie Taupincomposition ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ performed by Elton and Taron Egerton. ROCKETMAN: Music From The Motion Picture is produced by Giles Martin (except “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” is co-produced by Giles Martin and Greg Kurstin)and was recorded between 2017 and 2019 at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios. Executive Album Producers are Elton John, David Furnish, Matthew Vaughan and Dexter Fletcher.
ROCKETMAN: Music From The Motion Picture will come in a standard and deluxe version of the album and is available for pre-order now at http://smarturl.it/RocketmanSoundtrack. A Target CD version will feature two exclusive tracks – “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down In Me” (Taron only) and “Breakin’ Down The Walls If Heartache”. Pre-order the Target cd starting May 2 at Target stores or online at Target.com.
Paramount Pictures presents, in association with New Republic Pictures, A Marv Films/Rocket Pictures production ROCKETMAN; an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story – set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton – tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. ROCKETMAN also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother. ROCKETMAN was directed by Dexter Fletcher, written by Lee Hall and produced by Matthew Vaughn, David Furnish, Adam Bohling and David Reid, ROCKETMAN will open on the U.S. on May 31.
ROCKETMAN Music From The Motion Picture standard track listing:
1.The Bitch Is Back (Introduction)
2. I Want Love
3. Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
4. Thank You For All Your Loving
5. Border Song
6. Rock & Roll Madonna- Interlude
7. Your Song
8. Amoreena
9. Crocodile Rock
10. Tiny Dancer
11. Take Me To The Pilot
12. Hercules
13. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – interlude
14. Honky Cat
15. Pinball Wizard – Interlude
16. Rocket Man
17. Bennie and the Jets
18. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down – Interlude
19. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
20. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
21. I’m Still Standing
22. (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again
Instyle June Issue On sale May 17th
The cast of Big Little Lies is covering InStyle’s June issue with 5 separate covers: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern.
The lives of the cast have overlapped in myriad ways. Nicole and Reese have a production partnership (Big Little Lies is their brainchild). Reese starred with Laura in Wild. Laura starred with Shailene in The Fault in Our Stars. Shailene starred with Zoë in Divergent. Nicole has known Zoë since she dated her father, Lenny Kravitz, 16 years ago. And so it goes. These women’s relationships run much deeper than “ensemble cast”; rather, they have influenced and enriched each other’s lives.
Watch her last night at BBMAs.
GRAMMY-winning, certified diamond-selling music icon Shaggy kicks into high gear in anticipation of his new studio album Wah Gwaan?! – out next Friday, May 10 via The Cherrytree Music Company, Brooklyn Knights Entertainment and 300 Entertainment. Pre-order is available this Friday, May 3.
Today (May 2), Shaggy will debut the album’s latest single “You” featuring the 19-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Alexander Stewart with a performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS. Next week, the duo will grace the stage of ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday, May 8 followed by performances on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Tuesday, May 14 and Strahan & Sara on Friday, May 17. Tune in to hear the song that Billboard calls an “irresistibly upbeat EDM/dancehall fusion.”
Wah Gwaan?! is Shaggy’s most personal album to date and an emblematic display of his rich sound influenced by all styles of music. He embodies his Jamaican roots on dancehall tracks like “Caribbean Way,” “Frenemy,” “Ketch Mi Up” and “Money Up” ft. Noah Powa. Shaggy balances the seductive energy of rising dancehall superstar Shenseea and GRAMMY-nominated R&B powerhouse vocalist Stacy Barthe on “Super Natural.” His musical worlds collide on “Body Good” ft. Nicky Jam, one of the biggest acts out of the urban Latino scene. Shaggy continues to spread his contagious joy on “Use Me” and “Makeup Sex” ft. Nyanda and reveals his introspective side on “Wrong Room,” an ode about his mother. The artist expands his global reach with the irresistible smash “You” ft. Alexander Stewart and “When She Loves Me” ft. Rayvon. Shaggy and Rayvon have a long hit-making history, spawning ‘90s & ‘00s mega anthems “In The Summertime,” “Angel” and “Big Up.” Shaggy also taps a diverse range of producers including the legendary dancehall brothers Tony CD Kelly and Dave Kelly, Martin Kierszenbaum (Sting, Lady Gaga), iLLWayno (Nicki Minaj, Nas, 2 Chainz), Kizzo and Costi Official. Wah Gwaan?! represents a robust musical journey by a musician/songwriter/entertainer/armed forces veteran that invites the listener in with vibrancy, urgency and hope. Most of all, it captures the Caribbean-forged, energy-infused, adventure-informed musical impulses of a one-of-kind original: Shaggy.
Shaggy will tour throughout the spring and summer. He will also join Sting for a series of shows spanning across the UK in late May performing songs off their recent GRAMMY winner for Best Reggae Album, entitled 44/876, as well as their own respective greatest hits, together. See full list of Shaggy’s tour dates.
MoneySuperMarket, the UK’s leading price comparison site, today reveals that Bath is officially the best location to raise a family – taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
MoneySuperMarket’s annual Family Living Index, now in its third year, ranks 35 UK cities based on six key factors (local school rankings, access to green space, likelihood of burglary, house prices, job opportunities and average salary) to help parents find the city that best matches their family requirements.
Bath retains its title as the UK’s best place to raise a family, thanks to a high number of job opportunities and schools rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted per capita. Wolverhampton is the second most desirable city to live in, moving up one place from last year, followed by the north east heartlands of Newcastle and Sunderland. Manchester again features in the top five, but moves down a place from fourth last year.
At the other end of the scale, Bristol has overtaken London to become this year’s least family friendly city, due to a 33% rise in contents theft and a decline in ‘outstanding’-rated schools. Despite having the highest average income and level of disposable income, London continues to find itself near the bottom of the list due to high average house prices (£478,749).
Top five family friendly cities:
| City | 2018 rank | 2019 rank | Reason |
| Bath | 1st | 1st | Retains top spot due to an increase in income |
| Wolverhampton | 3rd | 2nd | Similar results from last year, but benefits from other locations’ declining scores |
| Newcastle | 2nd | 3rd | Drops one place due to an increase in contents theft, despite having the most ‘outstanding’-rated schools per capita |
| Sunderland | 6th | 4th | Rises thanks to improved income metrics |
| Manchester | 4th | 5th | Drops one place due to a fall in income |
Least family friendly cities:
| City | 2018 rank | 2019 rank | Reason |
| Bristol | 33rd | 35th | Falls into last position due to a rise in contents theft rate and high house prices |
| London | 35th | 34th | Places second to last in the rankings due to high house prices, despite having the highest income scores |
| Leicester | 32nd | 33rd | Drops one place due to a decrease in average income |
| Peterborough | 29th | 32nd | Drops three places because it has the fewest ‘outstanding’-rated schools in the country |
| Edinburgh | 27th | 31st | Drops four places due to an increase in contents theft rate claims |
The biggest climber this year is Newry, with the Northern Irish city jumping 10 places to 12th in the rankings due to an increase in disposable income and a high number of ‘outstanding’-rated schools per capita. Stoke, this year’s most affordable place to buy a home, Chester, Leeds and Brighton all climb seven places in the rankings.
Oxford sees the biggest drop, falling 18 places since last year to 30th in the rankings, due to its high contents theft rate, and a decreasing number of ‘outstanding’-rated schools. Cardiff also drops 14 places to 22nd, with a weakened position in almost every category, most notably in contents theft rate.
Further research reveals that two thirds (67%) of Brits believe they have seen a change to their quality of life in the last five years, with health (37%), a change in household bills (27%), moving to a new house (22%) and an increase in salary (21%) ranking as the top contributing factors. Other factors such as Brexit (8%), the local area changing (10%) and having to support an elderly family member (5%) also impacted their quality of life1.
Tom Flack, editor-in-chief at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “If you’re thinking of buying a home, it’s worth looking at the bigger picture and taking things such as local amenities, job opportunities and green spaces into consideration. If you have young children, take a look at the schools and the catchment area – many people will pick the area they live in based on this alone.
“When buying a property, it’s important to sort out the family finances so you can make the most of your money – and that includes purchases such as life insurance. If you have dependents, taking out a policy would provide financial support to your family if you were to pass away, helping them to clear outstanding debts and meet living expenses. Taking out life insurance will give you peace of mind, knowing that your family is protected financially in a worst case scenario.”
Head to MoneySuperMarket to see the full Family Living Index.
Discover Outdoors Foundation announces their fifth annual Hike-a-Thon, to take place on June 9, 2019. Add meaning to your miles at this annual fundraising event that helps under-resourced students get out of the city and into the great outdoors. Funds raised by hikers support the Foundation’s zero-cost, year-long mentorship programs for New York high school students, Young Women Who Crush and Advanced Leadership Training Adventures.
Returning for its fifth year, the Hike-a-Thon brings individuals and teams of fundraisers together for a day of hiking on the Appalachian trail. The full hike spans eighteen miles of Harriman State Park, and participants have the option of shorter courses: the nine mile, two peak challenge over West and Bear Mountains, or the four mile loop over the Bear Mountain Summit. At the end of the day, Hike-a-Thon participants will gather at Bear Mountain State Park for a picnic and award ceremony celebrating top fundraisers. All participants will receive a t-shirt, prize pack, and free entry to the picnic.
With each step, hikers move towards a more adventurous world for New York City youth who have fewer opportunities to experience the magic of the New York wilderness. The Discover Outdoors Foundation’s Young Women Who Crush program brings female high school students on rock climbing excursions that equip them to move mountains in their daily lives. The Foundation’s Advanced Leadership Training Adventures program hones high school students’ leadership and outdoor skills, teaches environmental stewardship, and builds a path for careers in the outdoors industry.
After building overwhelming anticipation, GRAMMY® nominated multiplatinum powerhouse trio–Jonas Brothers—announce the details for their 40-city Happiness Begins Tour this summer and fall with special guests Bebe Rexha and Jordan McGraw. The announcement coincides with the launch of the pre-order for the band’s highly anticipated comeback album Happiness Begins, as well as the launch of their official merch store online today.
Pre-order Happiness Begins (Republic Records) HERE. For exclusive items from the newly launched official merchandise store visit HERE.
Produced by Live Nation, the “Happiness Begins Tour Presented by American Airlines and Mastercard” kicks off August 7th in Miami, FL and will make stops in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas and more before wrapping October 20th in Los Angeles, CA at the famous Hollywood Bowl. This marks the first headline tour for the Jonas Brothers in almost a decade.
American Airlines AAdvantage® Mastercard® credit card holders will be among the first to have access to tickets through an exclusive pre-sale beginning on Tuesday, May 7 at 10am local time. Cardholders will also have the chance to purchase the ultimate Jonas Brothers experience—from the best seats in the house, to early access and exclusive premiums. Cardholders may also get the unexpected, because when you use your Mastercard, you never know when you might get a Priceless Surprise. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 10 at LiveNation.com.
“We’re so excited to announce this tour and get in front of our fans again! To kick things off we’ve partnered with American Airlines and Mastercard to offer their cardholders special access and experiences throughout our tour. We can’t wait for everyone to see what we have planned!” – Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers have also partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform to ensure tickets get in to the hands of their fans, not scalpers or bots. Fans can register now through Monday, May 6 at 10pm ET HERE for the Verified Fan presale. Registered fans who receive a code will have access to purchase tickets before the general public from Wednesday, May 8 at 10am local time through Thursday, May 9 at 10pm local time. Additionally, TIDAL subscribers will also have access to an exclusive presale beginning Thursday, May 10 at 10am local time through 10pm local time. TIDAL members can find details for purchasing tickets on TIDAL.com/JonasBrothers or via the TIDAL mobile, web and desktop apps.
Jonas Brothers VIP packages will be available & sold exclusively through HOST VIP. VIP package details will be announced on Friday, May 3 prior to all ticketing pre-sales. VIP packages will be available for purchase on May 10. A limited number of LaneOne Premium Packages will also be available, including amazing seats in first 5 rows, GA First On Floor, B-Stage VIP Bar area, transportation, preferred entrance and more. Check LaneOne for details.
The Happiness Begins pre-order will include instant grat downloads of the band’s hit singles “Sucker” and “Cool,” produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter, producer, and lead singer of the multi-platinum band OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder. The third instant grat titled “Only Human,” produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Shellback, will follow. Not only will this be the group’s first album since 2009, but it stands out as one of 2019’s most anticipated records.
These announcements set the stage for the boys to light up the Billboard Music Awards tonight with what promises to be a blockbuster performance. The band is expected to perform their first #1 hit at Top 40 radio “Sucker,” which has just clenched its second consecutive week at #1. Be sure to tune in to NBC at 8:00pm ET. Next up, you can catch them on Saturday Night Live on May 11.
“Sucker” now exceeds 445 million global streams to date. During release week, it clinched #1 on Apple Music, #1 on Spotify, and #1 on iTunes in North America. Globally, it reached #1 on Apple Music, #1 on YouTube, #1 on Twitter, and #2 on Spotify, as well as the #1 Streaming Song and #1 Digital Song. Speaking of making history, the rollout of “Sucker” marked “the first time a band debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this century.” Continuing the runaway success, “Cool” has notched 70 million global streams and soared to #1 on iTunes Overall Top Songs Chart and Top Music Videos Chart.
Motus One is proud to announce that two executives with a wealth of valuable experience have joined the company’s team in key positions – Julie Hamp and Nancie Stoddard.
Julie Hamp, a seasoned executive in the automotive industry is now the chairman of Motus One, an appointment that is effective immediately.
She will oversee and guide the strategy, development, staffing and training at Motus One, with a core focus on customer satisfaction attained through service excellence. With 35 years in communications, Julie helped build global brands while cultivating talent and key relationships around the world.
In addition to her chairman role at Motus One, Julie holds a senior advisor position at Hawksbill Group, a global business and communications consulting firm, and is a consulting partner to Finsbury, a global leader in strategic communications.
In the automotive category, Julie was the global chief communications officer and managing officer with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. Prior to her Tokyo appointment, she was the chief communications officer of Toyota North America.
Before Toyota, she held various communications positions within General Motors (GM) helping to lead their brands in North America, as well as holding roles as GM VP for the Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe regions.
Julie also has experience outside the automotive industry as global chief communications officer and head of consumer relations at PepsiCo, reporting to the CEO.
President and CEO of Motus One, Mike Jackson, said that Julie brings tremendous credentials to the post as well as experience that is vital for today’s changing mobility marketplace. “Motus One is proud to announce that one of the leading automotive public relations and communications professionals has joined our team to assist us in the ongoing transformation of our company,” said Mike. “I’m confident that Julie’s style, experiences and passion for the automotive industry will enhance our focus and help us always exceed the expectations of our clients and the automotive media community.”
Julie furthered Mike’s sentiment, “I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working once again with my long-time friend, Mike Jackson,” she said. “I love the automotive industry and am excited to a part of it during a time when we are seeing the most significant transformations the industry has experienced since its inception.”
Fritz Henderson, Hawksbill Group principal and former CEO of General Motors and SunCoke Energy, said, “The Motus One Board of Directors made an excellent choice in selecting Julie for this role. I’m confident she will advance their relationships with OEM’s and the automotive media given her extensive relationship history with people in these positions of influence.”
Julie holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan and her post-graduate studies include participation in the GM-Harvard Business School’s Executive Development Program with an emphasis on Asian studies. She is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and a member of the Arthur W. Page Society.
Nancie Stoddard – vice president of finance, is another ideal candidate for the ambitious and technologically-driven objectives of Motus One and for Mike’s drive to diversify the talent within the company.
“Nancie is a dynamic and multifaceted financial executive,” said Mike, “as her expertise comes from a history of strategic, functional and operational experience with rapidly growing technology companies. Nancie has deep experience in fleet management, including guiding a team responsible for managing a fleet of 1,200 vehicles. This combination of tech savvy and automotive know-how is critical for the success of Motus One.”
Nancie graduated with degrees from both University of Michigan and Michigan State University. “A champion of customer satisfaction, business innovation and continuous improvement, Nancie is a unifier and creates added-value through intellectual prowess, consistency, quality results and dedication,” said Mike.
Nancie also serves as an officer of Financial Executives International, Detroit Chapter and is the founder of Accounting and Finance Women’s Alliance, Detroit-West.
BANKS returns with the darkly hypnotic single “Gimme,”which debuted earlier as Zane Lowe’s World Record onApple Music’s Beats 1.
“‘Gimme’ is a song about getting what you want. It’s about knowing what you deserve, saying it out loud, and demanding it with no apologies. I’m ready to release this into the world and begin a new chapter,” says BANKS.
BANKS wrote the song with Buddy Ross (Frank Ocean, HAIM), and joined forces with producers Hudson Mohawke (Kanye West, Drake) and BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Francis and the Lights) to realize her vision. Released by Harvest Records, “Gimme” is the first new music from BANKS since her late 2017 single, “Underdog.” Stream / download “Gimme” HERE. Watch the visualizer HERE.
BANKS has amassed 1.2 billion global streams to date across all of her songs, including over 600 million cumulative streams in the U.S. alone. After the release of her breakout debut album, Goddess, she became the world’s most blogged about artist. The 2014 album included the RIAA-certified Platinum hit “Beggin For Thread” and the Gold single “Waiting Game.”
The Altar, released in 2016, debuted in the Top 10 in over 30 countries on iTunes. Coup De Main observed, “‘The Altar’ is an album that rewards with each listen, initially packing a powerful punch with its independence and self-determination.”
BANKS’ television performances include “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “Late Show with David Letterman.” Her songs have been heard in films (Divergent, The Longest Ride) and licensed by such television shows as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Power.”
