WEIRD AL YANKOVIC OUT WITH NEW PARODIES
UNDATED (AP) — Last year, they were big hits. This year, they’re fodder for parodies. Pharell’s “Happy” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” are the target of Weird Al Yankovic’s satire. The parody singer sends up both tunes in videos released to support his new album. “Tacky” spoofs Pharell’s Oscar-nominated song with a series of celebrities dressed in off outfits — like rocking sandals with socks. And the send-up of “Blurred Lines” is titled “Word Crimes” in which he takes people to task for showing off their lack of grammar skills in emails, blog posts and texts.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS CHOOSES MUSIC FOR “NBA 2K”
NEW YORK (AP) — Pharrell Williams will curate the soundtrack to the next “NBA 2K” video game. Williams says he tried to choose songs that were “diverse but yet still proved to be motivational to gamers.” His selections will be revealed later this summer. The game comes out October 7.
BRUNO MARS UP FOR EMMY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — OK, he can act some — as anyone who saw him on “Saturday Night Live” can attest. But Bruno Mars up for an Emmy? It might make you feel better to know he’s getting the nod for a musical performance. His Super Bowl halftime show is among the nominees for “Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program.” Among those competing with Mars — President Barack Obama. He’s nominated for his appearance with Zach Galifianakis on “Between Two Ferns.”
RISE AGAINST RELEASE “THE BLACK MARKET”
CHICAGO (AP) — Rise Against took a year off before making their latest album, “The Black Market.” They’ve never done that in the 15 years of being a band. Singer Tim McIlrath says he wanted to come back to work hungry. He says while other Rise Against records have dealt with looking outward, “The Black Market” looks inward. He says there are still political songs that Rise Against is known for, but there are also songs about who they are and where they fit in the cultural landscape, if they do at all. “The Black Market” is out this week.
NICK LACHEY TO BE A DAD AGAIN
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Nick Lachey will soon be a father of two. He and wife Vanessa are expecting their second baby. The singer first let on that their 2-year-old son would have a sister in an announcement on his Twitter account yesterday. The post also marked the couple’s third wedding anniversary.
NICO AND VINZ ARE NOT YOUR TYPICAL NORWEGIANS
NEW YORK (AP) — Nico and Vinz say the biggest misconception about them is that people hear they’re from Norway and assume they’re white. Nico’s mother is Norwegian and his father is from Cote d’Ivoire, while Vinz’s parents are immigrants from Ghana. Rolling Stone reports both Nico and Vinz grew up in Oslo but were into African music. They were a rap duo but switched to singing. Vinz says they dream of touching people all over the world.