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Paul McCartney’s ambitious yet ultimately abandoned collaboration with legendary sci-fi author Isaac Asimov has been unveiled in vivid detail through a new book, The McCartney Legacy, Volume 2: 1974–80, by Adrian Sinclair and Allan Kozinn.
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Released Tuesday (Dec. 10) via HarperCollins, the book dives into a little-known chapter of McCartney’s post-Beatles career, shedding light on the surreal project that never came to fruition.
The proposed film, tentatively titled Five and Five and One, featured an eccentric plot that intertwined aliens, McCartney’s band Wings — consisting of his wife Linda and ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine — and their efforts to take Earth by storm. McCartney’s original treatment for the story was brief, about 400 words long, but Asimov expanded it into a more detailed 1,800-word version. A fragment of McCartney’s treatment reveals the unique premise:
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“A ‘flying saucer’ lands. Out of it get five creatures. They transmute before your very eyes into ‘us’ [Wings]. They are here to take over Earth by taking America by storm and they proceed to do this supergroup style. Meanwhile — back in the sticks of Britain — lives the original group, whose personalities are being used by the aliens…”
McCartney personally approached Asimov in 1974 to collaborate on the script, meeting in New York since Asimov had an aversion to flying. He quipped about the author’s reluctance: “He can imagine himself into far-off galaxies, but he wouldn’t get on a plane.”
Asimov expanded on the story, evolving the alien invaders into “energy-beings” from a dying planet who sought to occupy the Wings members rather than clone them. However, the beings were unable to comprehend human emotions like love, adding a philosophical layer to the narrative.
Despite the intriguing concept, the project stalled. By early 1975, the collaboration was shelved, with Asimov reportedly leaving a pointed critique scrawled on the first page of his treatment: “Nothing ever came of this because McCartney couldn’t recognize good stuff.”
The new book, part of a larger series chronicling McCartney’s career, follows the first volume covering 1969–1973, which was published in 2022.
To capture the full scope of this era, authors Sinclair and Kozinn interviewed former Wings members, producers, and recording engineers, offering readers an in-depth exploration of McCartney’s post-Beatles years.
Paul McCartney’s Billboard achievements are nothing short of extraordinary. He has written or co-written a record-breaking 32 songs that have topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This includes not only his work with the Beatles but also his solo hits and collaborations with Wings, Linda McCartney, and other artists.
McCartney achieved the remarkable feat of having the No. 1 song of the entire year on Billboard three times: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964, “Hey Jude” in 1968, and “Silly Love Songs” in 1976—an accomplishment unmatched by any other artist in the chart’s history.
The Used are marking their 25th anniversary with a global tour that will see the band performing their first three albums—The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004), and Lies for the Liars (2007)—in full across three consecutive nights in each city.
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The tour will span North America, the U.K., and Australia, giving fans a chance to relive the early 2000s post-hardcore anthems that shaped a generation.
Frontman Bert McCracken, who recently debuted his first solo album under robbietheused, said of the milestone moment for the band and their fans: “Overwhelmed! These first three records are what put The Used on the map.”
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“I can’t wait to experience the joy in playing all three records from front to back. I know it will be an amazing time. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Sending love to you all and I hope to see you there!”.
Bassist Jepha echoed the sentiment, expressing gratitude for fans who have supported the band over the years. “We feel extremely lucky and humbled to have been a part of something way bigger than ourselves for the past 25 years. To everyone that has been there from the beginning or is just starting out your adventure with us thank you. Here’s to the next 25!”.
Drummer Dan Whitesides shared: “We can’t wait to play all of these songs from the first three albums, they mean so much to us as we know they do to so many people.”
The Used’s career has been defined by both commercial and critical success. Their debut album The Used reached No. 63 on the Billboard 200 in 2002, while its follow-up, In Love and Death, climbed to No. 6 in 2004, featuring hits like “Take It Away” (which reached No. 13 on the US Alternative chart) and “All That I’ve Got” (peaking at No. 19 on the US Alternative chart and No. 35 in Australia).
In 2007, Lies for the Liars debuted at No. 5, propelled by tracks such as “Pretty Handsome Awkward” (which reached No. 37 on the US Alternative chart). The debut album has since achieved platinum certification.
The rockers band will hit nine cities across North America—Detroit, Boston, Sayreville, New York, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Diego—starting in April, performing three consecutive nights in each location.
The Australian leg of the tour will then kick off on Aug. 13, 2025, in Brisbane, before moving to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. The band will perform 15 shows across these five Australian cities, with each city hosting three consecutive nights. Tickets will go on pre-sale on Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m. local time, with general sales beginning on Dec. 13, at 8:30 a.m. local time. Tickets for the Australian leg will be available at destroyalllines.com.
During each three-night run, The Used will perform one of their first three albums in full each night, allowing fans to experience these iconic records in their entirety.
The Used’s 2025 Tour Dates:
AprilApril 3 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore*April 5 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore^April 6 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore+April 9 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues*April 11 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues^April 12 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues+April 15 – Sayreville, NJ @ The Starland Ballroom*April 16 – Sayreville, NJ @ The Starland Ballroom^April 18 – Sayreville, NJ @ The Starland Ballroom+April 19 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza*April 21 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza^April 22 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza+April 25 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues*April 26 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues^April 27 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues+April 29 – Denver, CO @ Odgen Theatre*April 30 – Denver, CO @ Odgen Theatre^
MayMay 2 – Denver, CO @ Odgen Theatre+May 3 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union*May 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union^May 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union+May 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern*May 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern^May 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern+May 13 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues*May 15 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues^May 16 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues+May 22 – London, UK @ The Dome+May 24 – Hatfield, UK @ Slam Dunk Festival^May 25 – Leeds, UK @ Slam Dunk Festival*
AugustAugust 13 – Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli*August 14 – Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli^August 16 – Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli+August 17 – Sydney, NSW @ Liberty Hall*August 19 – Sydney, NSW @ Liberty Hall^August 20 – Sydney, NSW @ Liberty Hall+August 22 – Melbourne, VIC @ Northcote Theatre*August 23 – Melbourne, VIC @ Northcote Theatre^August 25 – Melbourne, VIC @ Northcote Theatre+August 26 – Adelaide, SA @ The Gov*August 28 – Adelaide, SA @ The Gov^August 29 – Adelaide, SA @ The Gov+August 31 – Perth, WA @ Magnet House*
SeptemberSeptember 1 – Perth, WA @ Magnet House^September 3 – Perth, WA @ Magnet House+
Key:
Playing The Used^ Playing In Love and Death
Playing Lies for the Liars
SZA is giving fans something to look forward to with a teaser for her new SOS deluxe release.
Arriving on Monday, Dec. 9, two years to the day since the original release of SOS, SZA shared a video to social media accompanied by an as-yet-unnamed song which samples the Isley Brothers’ “Voyage to Atlantis”.
The clip itself shows SZA in the woods as she squats by a stream to pee. It closes with overlaid text which sees “Lana” appearing above the words “SOS Deluxe”. The video is captioned with the words, “Clock starts now. Happy anniversary.”
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The mysterious nature of the clip has already sent fans of SZA into overdrive as they attempt to decipher a number of unanswered questions. Firstly, despite telling her followers that the “clock starts now”, it’s unclear when the countdown ends and the project ostensibly arrives.
Some fans have pointed out on Reddit that SZA’s shirt features the number five, while a dark section of dirt also appears to highlight the same number. Speculation has therefore seen a potential release date of Dec. 13 entering the conversation, though no official announcement has been made.
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Secondly, confusion is also reigning in regards to whether SZA’s long-awaited Lana project is now arriving as the previously-announced deluxe edition of her SOS album. Previously, Lana had been confirmed as such before being detailed as an entirely separate project, including in a recent interview with British Vogue.
In the same interview, SZA explained that the music she had recorded for Lana was something of a “welcome shift”.
“I think I am making music from a more beautiful place. From a more possible place versus a more angsty place,” she explained. “I’m not identifying with my brokenness. It’s not my identity. It’s shit that happened to me. Yeah, I experienced cruelty. I have to put it down at some point. Piece by piece, my music is shifting because of that, the lighter I get.”
In late November, SZA appeared on Kai Cenat’s livestream where she claimed a “whole new project” was up her sleeve, admitting it “will be out before the year is over”.
More recently, SZA and Kendrick Lamar announced the co-headlining Grand National tour, which will see the pair performing 21 dates over two months.
The Grand National Tour is slated to kick off in Minnesota on April 19, and then rumbles through Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, the New York area, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago and Toronto before wrapping up in Washington, D.C., on June 18.
It’s been a very long time since The Cure were considered prolific, but frontman Robert Smith appears to be making up for lost time.
Fresh from the release of their first album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World, The Cure followed up with the announcement of a new live album just last week. Fittingly titled Songs of a Live World, the record captures the release-day concert of their latest album, which saw the band performing the record in full alongside a career-spanning set.
Now in a teaser clip of Smith’s upcoming interview with Absolute Radio’s Danielle Perry, the veteran musician can be heard detailing upcoming records from The Cure.
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“There is another album which is pretty much ready to go. It’s sort of its companion piece,” Smith began. “And then there’s a third one which is completely different. It’s really kind of random stuff, it’s like late-night studio stuff. But some of it is really, really good actually, it’s just very, very different.”
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“This Songs of a Lost World album is a really emotional piece of work and the companion piece, it’s not quite as dark but it explores other subjects a little bit more. The third one is very odd, actually. I haven’t finished the words to that one because my headspace has been much more focused on performing these songs.
“I don’t really want it to end because it’s been so good,” he concluded. “The reaction to the new music has been so, so great. It’s been really lovely to feel people giving us all the love.”
The release of The Cure‘s Songs of a Lost World has been a massively successful undertaking for the band. In addition to giving the band their first U.K. No. 1 since 1992’s Wish, the record also made a return to the top of U.S. charts as well.
It became the band’s first No. 1 on the 33-year-old Top Album Sales chart and the act’s highest-charting effort on the Billboard 200 (No. 4) since 1992. It also managed to hit No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums, Vinyl Albums and Indie Store Album Sales.
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Nikki Giovanni, the famed poet, activist, and educator, died on Monday (Dec. 9). As the news of Nikki Giovanni’s death began to spread online, many are remembering the celebrated scribe and her weight contributions to culture.
Nikki Giovanni was born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. in Knoxville, Tenn. on June 7, 1943. Raised primarily in Ohio, Giovanni was referred to as “Nikki” by her sister, and the nickname stuck. In 1960, Giovanni attended Fisk University in Nashville. In 1967, Giovanni graduated with a B.A. degree in History.
Shortly after, Giovanni was inspired to write after the passing of her grandmother and these writings would later form the basis of her poetry collection, Black Feelings, Black Talk. After briefly attending the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work and Columbia University School of the Arts, Giovanni began teaching in 1969 at Rutgers University.
Giovanni was one of the prominent names within the Black Arts Movement, later releasing a series of books and spoken world albums in addition to her teaching duties from the 1970s through the 1980s. During the late ’80s, Giovanni began teaching writing and literature at Virginia Tech from 1987 to 2022 and in that time she received 20 honorary doctorates and dozens of awards for her work and service to the community. Among the honorifics, Giovanni was made an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
Giovanni is survived by her wife Virginia Fowler, son Thomas Giovanni, granddaughter Kai Giovanni, and a host of other close relatives.
Nikki Giovani was 81. May she rest powerfully in peace.
[h/t WDBJ]
Learn more about Giovanni’s life and work here.
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Beyoncé and Jay-Z made a very rare red carpet appearance on Monday night at the Los Angeles premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King, posing for photos with daughter Blue Ivy Carter and Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles.
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The 12-year-old plays a major part in the film, voicing lion Kiara, the daughter of Simba (voiced by Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé) — who reprise the roles they played in 2019’s live-action The Lion King.
Blue Ivy and Beyoncé both appeared in gold dresses at the Hollywood Boulevard event, with the young star first taking solo shots before she was joined by her parents. Beyoncé famously avoids most red carpets, often doing her own photoshoots at events like the Grammys or the premiere of her concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.
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None of the three family members were previously announced to the press as attending the event, despite their involvement.
The appearance comes just a day after Jay-Z was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 in a lawsuit that also alleges Sean “Diddy” Combs took part in the act, according to NBC News. The rapper responded with a forceful statement that the claims are “idiotic” and part of a “blackmail attempt.”
In the lawsuit, the accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” alleges Carter and Combs raped her at a house party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place in New York. The lawsuit, which was first filed in October in the Southern District of New York, originally listed Combs as a defendant and was refiled Sunday to include Carter. Attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed the suit, has also filed numerous suits against Combs in the past several months.
Jay-Z responded via his company Roc Nation’s X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, saying that what the lawyer “had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
He also added, “My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
The legendary Bing Crosby is back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in nearly 64 years, as his new holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas climbs 18-9 on the chart dated Dec. 14.
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The entertainer, who died in 1977, was last in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with his classic Merry Christmas album, which ranked at No. 9 on the Dec. 31, 1960-dated chart. It had previously spent a week at No. 1 on Jan. 6, 1958-dated chart.
Merry Christmas became the second holiday album to top the Billboard 200, following its launch as a regularly published weekly chart in March 1956. Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album was the first chart-topping holiday set, as it topped the chart for three weeks in December 1957, moved aside for Crosby for a week and then returned to No. 1 for one more week in January 1958.
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Ultimate Christmas is available as 14-song standard album, an expanded 28-song edition, and a deluxe 58-song version. All versions of the album contain such classic Holiday 100-charting tunes from Crosby as “White Christmas” (featuring The Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra), “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Mele Kalikimaka” (with The Andrews Sisters) and “Silent Night” (featuring John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr’s Mixed Chorus).
In the tracking week ending Dec. 5, as reflected on the Dec. 14-dated Billboard 200 chart, Ultimate Christmas earned 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending (up 59%). Of that sum, SEA units comprise 46,000 (up 62%; equaling 61.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it jumps 16-6 on Top Streaming Albums).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 14, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Tuesday, Dec. 10. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
If ever there was someone whose marriage advice was considered invaluable, it’s Dolly Parton.
The country veteran and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has been recording and releasing as a solo artist since 1967 – just one year after her marriage to the rarely-seen Carl Dean.
Together, the pair have been married for close to 60 years, though Dean has been known for his aversion to the spotlight. Having met in a laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville, only rarely do photographs of the pair emerge, and Parton has long said that Dean – a retired paver four years her senior – has only ever seen her perform live once.
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In a new interview with Bunnie Xo‘s Dumb Blonde podcast (itself a song title from Parton’s 1967 album Hello, I’m Dolly), the musical icon has offered up some of the secrets to their long-lasting relationship.
“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” Parton explained. “Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”
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“Anytime [there’s] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far,” Parton continued, touching on their shared sense of humor. “We never fought back and forth. And I’m glad now that we never did, because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing.
“I’ve seen it with so many people, and I thought, ‘I ain’t ever starting that.’ I couldn’t bear to think that he’d say something I couldn’t take… because I’m a very sensitive person toward other people and myself.”
Parton’s comments are consistent with her previous offerings on the key to her long-lasting marriage, telling ET Canada in 2022 why she feels the pair have worked so long for close to 60 years.
“I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going,’” she explained. “You know, there’s a lot to be said about that. So we’re not in each other’s face all the time. He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa.”
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Taylor Swift has played her last show on her record-breaking Eras Tour, but fans can still keep up with the singer — and look back on her remarkable career to date — with a new book from Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield.
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Heartbreak Is the National Anthem was released in November as a hardcover book, and you can also listen to it now on Audible. The audiobook version has landed on Audible’s music bestsellers list, just behind books about Van Halen, R.E.M. and Bob Dylan.
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Billed as an “intimate look at the life and music of modern pop’s most legendary figure,” the audiobook is read by Sheffield, a well-respected music journalist who has covered Swift’s career from the very beginning. In fact, the expanded title of the book is “A Celebration of Taylor Swift‘s Musical Journey, Cultural Impact, and Reinvention of Pop Music for Swifties by a Swiftie.”
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The new book chronicles not only the singer’s rise to fame, but also her impact on the music industry and on pop culture as a whole. From her early days as a teenage country singer, to becoming one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century, Heartbreak tracks the people, milestones and experiences that have shaped Swift’s journey.
The audiobook version is read by Sheffield himself, with a run-time of five hours and 29 minutes. You can purchase the audiobook for $21 right now on Amazon or listen to it for just 99 cents with a new Audible deal, which gets you a three-month subscription for just $3 total. Regularly $14.99/month, the new promo saves you 93% off for a limited time.
Heartbreak is the National Anthem was an instant New York Times best-seller when it was released, and reviewers have heaped praise on the book too, with an average 4.3-star rating (out of five) online. One reviewer raves about Sheffield’s writing, noting that he “offers worthy praise, cultural analysis, critical commentary, and clever connections,” along with “stories, details and humor that Swifties will appreciate.”
Another calls the book a “love letter to Swift’s artistry, with Sheffield blending personal anecdotes alongside a thoughtful analysis of her career and the impact she’s had on music and her fans.”
Per publisher Dey Street Books, Heartbreak is the National Anthem is “the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift.”
“At once one of the most beloved music figures of the past two decades and one of the most criticized, Taylor Swift is known as much for her life beyond her music as she is for her hits—the most public of stars, yet also the weirdest and most mysterious,” reads the publisher notes. “Heartbreak Is the National Anthem will inform and delight a legion of fans who hang on every word from Taylor and every word Rob writes on her.”
Purchase the book on hardcover or listen to it on Audible here. You can also check out more books about Taylor Swift here.