Key takeaways:

• Carlos Marn, a member of the pop-opera group Il Divo, died at the age of 53.
• During a 2015 appearance on Mountain Lake PBS, Marin said he was “proud” to connect with people through music.

Carlos Marn, a member of the Il Divo pop-opera group, died at 53.

In a Twitter post on Sunday, the remaining members of the chart-topping quartet announced his death.

Tenors David Miller, Sébastien Izambard, and Urs Bühler paid tribute to the baritone online, calling him a “beautiful soul.”

The report read, “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away.” “His friends, family, and fans will miss him. Carlos’ voice and spirit will never be duplicated.”

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“We’ve been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together for 17 years, and we’ll miss our dear friend. We sincerely hope and pray that his lovely soul will find peace.”

Before their tour was postponed “due to illness,” Marn performed with the band in the United Kingdom in December.

The singer’s death comes just days after the band confirmed on Twitter that he had been admitted to the hospital.

His illness was not revealed, and the cause of his death has not been determined.

Marn, born in Germany but raised in Madrid, was a founding member of Simon Cowell’s Il Divo, formed in 2003 under his SyCo record label and meant “divine male performer” in Italian.

With the party, he went on to release ten studio albums, three of which reached number one in the UK: “Il Divo,” “Ancora,” and “The Promise.”

On Twitter, Cowell expressed his sadness at the news, writing: “I’m having a hard time putting into words how I’m feeling right now. Carlos Marin’s death has devastated me. 

He was enthralled by life. He enjoyed performing and was always grateful to the fans who had supported the group since the beginning. Carlos, may you rest in peace. I’m going to miss you.”

Il Divo and R&B singer Toni Braxton performed “The Time of Our Lives,” the official song of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

During a 2015 appearance on Mountain Lake PBS, Marin said he was “proud” to connect with people through music.

“Being a singer has the advantage of allowing people to connect with a song while also allowing you to use your voice, your singing voice, to tell a story. That’s the positive aspect, and it’s something I’m particularly proud of.”

Until 2009, Marn was married to Geraldine Larrosa, Innocence, a French-born singer.

Source: CTV News

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Key takeaways:

• The Grammy Awards announced Drake’s removal from the competition on Monday.

On Monday, the Grammys organization announced Drake’s withdrawal from the competition, adding another twist to the Toronto-raised artist’s tumultuous relationship with the music accolade.

According to a spokesperson, the Recording Academy revoked Drake’s two nominations at the request of the artist and his management.

With “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake was nominated for the best rap album, while “Way 2 Sexy,” a collaboration with Future and Young Thug, was nominated for best rap performance.

As the last round of voting began on Monday, an academy spokesperson confirmed Drake would be pulled from the ballot.

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Spokespeople for the rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, declined to comment on the song, and his reasons for withdrawing were unknown.

Despite winning four Grammys and receiving scores of nominations, Drake has had a rocky relationship with the awards show.

After the Weeknd was snubbed by the Grammys last year, he came to his friend’s defense, posting on Instagram that the awards “no longer matter” and that it was time to “create something new.”

Drake did not offer his album “More Life” for consideration in 2018.

A year later, he defied expectations by attending the ceremony to accept the award for the best rap song. While holding his trophy, he informed the audience that winning prizes isn’t required as long as performers have fans attending their live acts.

“It’s not the NBA,” he explained, “where you hold a trophy at the end of the year because you made the correct decisions and won the games.”

“In this profession, it’s sometimes up to a group of individuals who don’t comprehend what a mixed-race youngster from Canada, a Spanish fly girl from New York, or anyone else has to say.”

After his chart-topping album “After Hours” and smash single “Blinding Lights” failed to receive a single nomination last year, The Weeknd stated he would no longer allow his company to submit his music for consideration.

Despite this, the Toronto R&B singer, born Abel Tesfaye, was surprised to receive three nominations this year for collaborations, including a duet with Lil Baby on Kanye West’s “Hurricane,” which is up for best melodic rap performance, and appearances on Doja Cat’s deluxe edition “Planet Her” and West’s “Donda,” which are both up for the best album.

With eight nominations, Justin Bieber is Canada’s leading nominee this year, but he, too, has expressed dissatisfaction with the Grammys. He grumbled last year that his songs were nominated in pop categories, although he believed them to be R&B music.

Source: CTV News

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Key takeaways:

• On Friday, ABBA, the Swedish pop supergroup, launched a lawsuit to stop a British tribute band, Abba Mania, from using the name.

ABBA, the Swedish pop supergroup, filed a lawsuit on Friday to prevent Abba Mania, a British tribute band, from using the name.

According to a complaint filed in the United States District Court in Manhattan, lawyers representing ABBA accused Abba Mania’s managers of “parasitic and bad-faith conduct” in advertising Abba Mania.

The defendants, according to ABBA, have refused to stop using Abba Mania on social media, YouTube, and the abbamania.com website, or to use “ABBA Tribute” in a way that would not confuse them.

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Handshake Ltd of Manchester, England, and TAL Entertainment Ltd of Bicester, England, are corporate defendants.

Outside of business hours on Friday, neither party responded to calls for comment.

The trademark infringement case was filed amid Abba Mania’s U.S. tour, which bills itself as “The Original Tribute from London’s West End!” and includes a concert in Middletown, New York, roughly a 90-minute drive from Manhattan, in February 2022.

The designated plaintiff, Polar Music International AB, has been in charge of ABBA’s business activities since the group’s inception in Stockholm in 1972. It also demands a range of damages in its complaint.

In small capital letters, Abba Mania’s website states, “Abba Mania is in no way related, affiliated, or endorsed by Polar Music of ABBA.”

ABBA is best known for songs like “Waterloo,” “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “The Winner Takes It All,” which have sold an estimated 385 million copies worldwide. It was also one of the first bands to market its music via music videos.

The band recently released “Voyage,” its first new record in 40 years, and is planning a stage spectacle that will feature computerized avatars of its members, who are now in their 70s and dressed in 1970s garb.

Source: CTV News

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Key sentence:

• Live Nation Entertainment Inc., a promoter, and Scott are among those accused in the complaints. 

What Canadian rapper Drake may have known about the disaster unfolding at the Astroworld concert in Houston. At the same time, he took the stage has put him as a defendant in several lawsuits filed in the aftermath of the incident.

“The charge against Drake is that he should have known that people were being wounded and injured,” said Meredith Duncan, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center Faculty.

“And he was going to contribute to that situation by taking the stage and performing.”

Following an apparent audience surge at rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld outdoor music festival, many lawsuits have been lodged, and a criminal investigation has been started. The concert on Nov. 5 drew 50,000 people, according to authorities.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc., a promoter, and Scott are among those accused in the complaints. In addition, Drake, who went on stage with Scott as a surprise guest artist, has been cited as a defendant in subsequent court actions.

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‘Aimed at energising the crowd.’

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Scott and Drake are named in one of the cases filed by concertgoer Kristian Paredes, 23, of Texas. 

According to the lawsuit, the Toronto rapper, whose actual name is Aubrey Drake Graham, “helped agitate the crowd” and remained on stage with Scott “as the crowd went out of control” and “the crowd mayhem escalated.”

Concertgoers had recounted the suffocating crowd becoming perilous even before Scott took the stage, as well as watching people collapse while the rapper was performing. 

Scott reportedly interrupted his performance when it became evident that people needed medical help and encouraged the crowd to make way for an ambulance that was making its way through the crowd. Still, he returned to finish his act later.

Authorities announced the performance was being shut down at 10:03 p.m. CT, but witnesses say Scott and Drake continued to perform.

Scott’s lawyers have stated that their client was unaware of the deaths and injuries until after the concert had ended. According to other news stories, Drake was reportedly oblivious of what had occurred. 

Drake stated his heart was “broken for the families and friends of all those who lost their lives, and for anyone who is hurting” in an Instagram post.

Some lawsuits allege both carelessness and gross negligence, claiming that all defendants failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent physical injury and death. Gross negligence means that the defendants were aware of the risk but chose to ignore it.

Source: CBC

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Key sentence:

• Around eight people were killed, and dozens of others were injured in a crowd rush at the Astroworld Festival in Texas.
• According to Pea, 17 individuals were brought to the hospital, 11 of whom were in cardiac arrest. 
• Houston Police Chief Troy Finner asked people to be calm and avoid jumping to conclusions about what caused the influx.

According to officials, around eight people were killed, and dozens of others were injured in a crowd rush at the Astroworld Festival in Texas.

According to Samuel Pea, Houston Fire Chief, the surge began shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday while artist Travis Scott was performing.

“The crowd started to compress towards the front of the stage, producing some fear and resulting in some injuries,” the fire chief explained. “People began to fall out and became unconscious, which added to the panic.”

Shortly after numerous people were injured, the event was called off.

According to Pea, 17 individuals were brought to the hospital, 11 of whom were in cardiac arrest. In addition, a field hospital had been built up at NRG Park, and several individuals were treated there.

Approximately 50,000 attendees attended the festival, according to Pea.

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According to the fire chief, officials didn’t know the reasons for the eight persons who died right away. A medical examiner would perform an autopsy. As of early Saturday, the body had not been recognised.

Officials set up a reunification centre at a hotel for family members who couldn’t get in touch with relatives in attendance.

Astroworld was supposed to be a two-day music festival in Houston on Friday and Saturday. However, according to the Astroworld website, the event was sold out. As a result, the performances scheduled for Saturday have been postponed.

According to Pea, medical teams were stationed at the festival by event organisers, but they were “immediately overwhelmed” once the crowds arrived.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner asked people to be calm and avoid jumping to conclusions about what caused the influx.

“I believe none of us must speculate. Tonight, no one has all the answers,” Finner remarked. He also stated that officials would investigate many rumours surrounding the tragedy.

“We’re going to look into it and find out,” he said, “because it’s not fair to the producers, to anyone else involved, until we figure out what happened, what caused the surge.” “We don’t know,” says the narrator, “but we’ll find out.”

Source: Firstpost

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The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre will host a double-act, super weekend of comedy and classical music on Dec. 12-13. 

Although the Ever Late Show: Christmas Edition! comedy event and the Gryphon Trio Celebrate Beethoven@250 Watch Party events are catered to different audiences, NACC executive director Marie Coderre said she’s trying to cater to as wide an audience as possible leading up to the holiday season.Advertisement

“We’re trying to target two different crowds and we tried to find programs that could really satisfy local audiences with laughter while also celebrating a big composer,” Coderre said.

Tickets are now on sale for the Ever Late Show: Christmas Edition, to be held on Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. The event will feature Martin Rehak and JD and a lineup of comedians. 

Rehak, 36, has been part of NACC’s mentorship program for more than a year and has been among the Yellowknife-based arts performers building a community of comedians in town, said Coderre. 

“I think that during the pandemic, we really need to laugh right now and we really need funny content,” she said. “We are used to having music shows for Christmas and stuff like that, but I think  a parody comedy show around Christmas will be quite different and quite relevant in these unprecedented times.”

The lineup will also feature comedians Skye Plowman and Emily Blake, a brief appearance by Tom Parker and other surprise acts.

The musical guest is Ryan McCord and there will also be a special appearance by David Thomas Micheal. 

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there are only 50 spots available for the live act in the cultural centre. However, the event will be broadcast via Facebook and Northwestel later that day at 7:30 p.m. 

All sales will be online as the box office is closed and people who attend are asked to take public health precautions. 

Coderre said the show will be a Christmas-based parody and viewers are advised there could be adult content involved. 

NACC hosted a Martin Rehak event in August at the Willideh stage and he said that audiences can expect a similar performance.

“It will be like a late-night talk show format with multimedia and local acts with some silly bits in-between and sketches,” he explained. “The one at Willideh was the first of its kind that we had done and this is the next installment as a Christmas edition.”

Gryphon Trio

The same weekend will also feature a virtual concert by the Gryphon Trio on Dec. 13 at 3 p.m.  to mark the 250th birthday of musical composer Beethoven.

One of Canada’s most celebrated classical music trios, the Gryphon Trio comprises pianist Jamie Parker, cellist Roman Borys and violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon. 

Tickets are also on sale for that event. The show will include a pre-recorded performance of Beethoven’s G Major Piano Trio Op. 1, No. 2 and the Piano Trio in Bb Major, Op. 97, nicknamed the “Archduke.” 

The event will only be seen via screen, exclusively for ticket-holders.

“All the classical music lovers will love that show and we’ll have a chance to talk to the members afterwards,” Coderre said. “I will be on stage with them on the screen and we will have a discussion and the audience will be able to ask questions. “

She said that show will be a reunion of sorts as the Gryphon Trio have toured in the NWT in the past, the last time being December 2016 as part of the Broken Hearts and Madmen Project.

“So yes, it’s good just going to be a reunion with the Gryphon Trio who have been an important asset for the community here and who have done so much for the Northwest Territories,” she said. “I’m sure they will be thrilled to to see a few patrons even though it will be just 50 people.”