Latest news with #BeatIt
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Beloved '60s Rock Legend Dies at 77
Legendary guitarist Rick Derringer has sadly died. The "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" rocker passed due to heart issues on Memorial Day, May 26, according to TMZ. His wife reportedly told the outlet he died "peacefully" after being taken off life support, adding, "We thought we had years left but God's timing is perfect." Derringer's friend and alleged caretaker Tony Wilson told the outlet the rock legend underwent a triple bypass just two months ago but had recovered well until he took a turn on Monday evening. His wife told TMZ he was in good spirits despite his surgery and said he was "so positive and peaceful." The Grammy winner later died at a hospital in Ormond Beach, FL. Derringer first rose to fame as a teen performing with The McCoys, known for their song "Hang On Sloopy." He went on to collaborate with legends like KISS, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Alice Cooper, Steely Dan and "Weird Al" Yankovic. He won a Grammy Award in 1985 for producing Yankovic's parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It," called "Eat It," which won for Best Comedy Recording. Beloved '60s Rock Legend Dies at 77 first appeared on Parade on May 27, 2025
West Australian
5 days ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Spotify AI tool Seat Belters promotes driver safety with playlist hack, based on fresh research
You're driving down the freeway and a car screams past with frenetic music blasting from the windows. There's every chance those blaring beats are directly linked with the driver's reckless behaviour. We know music can have a powerful effect on our emotions, and it turns out it has a major impact on how safely we drive, too, with studies showing songs with a beat-per-minute count of more than 120 to be the worst culprits. These up-tempo tracks have been proven to negatively affect reaction times and overall awareness, producing more erratic driving patterns and riskier on-road attitudes. New research from Allianz Australia reveals one in three (32 per cent) Aussie drivers believes music affects their driving, with a third of those (33 per cent) reporting decreased concentration when listening to high-bpm music on the road. But if you think this category of music is reserved for heavy metal or bass-rich techno, think again. Your favourite song may well be within the BPM danger zone. Taylor Swift's pop banger Shake It Off and OutKast's Hey Ya! both come in at 160bpm, while Beat It by Michael Jackson (138), I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (132) and Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC (173) are all well over what is considered safe for on-road listening. At exactly 120bpm, Lady Gaga's Poker Face, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk, Adele's Rolling In The Deep and ABBA's Dancing Queen are also just out of bounds. According to Allianz's data, more than half (52 per cent) of Aussie drivers sing along to music while in their car and 44 per cent will crank up the volume when their favourite song comes on, potentially creating dangerous conditions without us even realising. Road safety expert Andry Rakotonirainy has investigated the connection between auditory inputs, like music, and cognitive performance while driving and was fascinated by the findings. 'The emerging data from Allianz Australia is particularly interesting to me, as it shows how music tempo can influence concentration, reaction time and even speeding, highlighting the need for me to explore this further, especially as in-car entertainment becomes more pervasive and immersive,' Dr Rakotonirainy says. 'When we think about running, we often choose fast-tempo music to push our pace. The same concept applies to driving, as higher bpm tracks can subconsciously encourage faster speeds and reduce concentration. 'It's not surprising that the tempo of the music we listen to can influence how we behave behind the wheel.' Yet clearly it's hard to pick a harmonic hazard if earlier examples are anything to go by. Dr Rakotonirainy says there are some genres that are more likely to have a lower bpm, in the 'ideal' range of 60-80, including classical, ambient, acoustic and jazz. 'These types of genres generally have slower tempos and fewer sudden changes, which could help maintain a steady pace and reduce the likelihood of risky driving behaviours, such as speeding or reduced reaction times,' he explains. Some popular songs that fall into the 60-80bpm category are The Beatles' Let It Be (72), Etta James' At Last (87), Billie Eilish's Ocean Eyes (73), Sam Smith's Stay With Me (84) and TLC's Waterfalls (89). However, we don't have to manually look up the bpm of our favourite songs to make sure they are suitable for driving. Bolstered by the research, Allianz has partnered with Spotify to create a new in-app tool, Seat Belters, which generates personalised playlists that sit within the 60-80bpm range while considering users' music interests. Utilising Spotify's steaming intelligence to promote a more focused state for those behind the wheel is a crucial innovation, Dr Rakotonirainy says. 'Tech platforms like Spotify have enormous reach and can personalise content in real time,' he says. 'By embedding safety-focused experiences like Allianz Seat Belters into everyday music listening and making the experience available to all Spotify users, Allianz is helping to encourage safer driving behaviours at scale.' He adds, 'If Australians could take a moment to consider the music they are listening to before getting behind the wheel, it could have a positive impact on their behaviour.' As for whether there is a genre of music that can turn us into better drivers, there isn't yet conclusive research. 'Driving behaviour is closely linked to psychological states such as mood and arousal,' Dr Rakotonirainy says. 'Music has the potential to positively influence mood and enhance the driving experience. However, from a research perspective, isolating the effect of specific types of music on driving performance is methodologically complex, due to individual variability in music preferences, baseline mood and driving context.' While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Seat Belters aims to strike a balance — especially when 58 per cent of Aussie drivers say they 'always' listen to music while on the road and 13 million people around the country are active Spotify users every month. 'The in-app experience is a great chance for music lovers to combine safety and entertainment in a fun, relatable and accessible way,' Dr Rakotonirainy says. As artificial intelligence infiltrates our daily life at an exponential rate, Dr Rakotonirainy is continuing to investigate the intersection between technology and driver safety. 'While many people are familiar with automated or driverless cars, technologies heavily reliant on AI, its potential goes well beyond automation — it will improve safety,' he says. 'AI can also enable real-time monitoring of driving conditions, detect distraction or drowsiness, assess cognitive load, and even adapt in-car environments or vehicle speed accordingly. 'Beyond music, AI could also enhance route planning and deliver smarter in-vehicle alerts, creating a more responsive and human-centred driving experience.' + To create your own personalised Seat Belters playlist, visit + Allianz's research was conducted in April 2025 and sampled more than 1000 Australians aged 18 and above who hold valid driver's licences and listen to music while driving.
Calgary Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Beat it to the Jubilee this fall as Broadway Across Canada brings MJ along with Moulin Rouge and Mamma Mia!
Article content Broadway Across Canada's new season includes two shows still on Broadway, two old favourites, and a non-musical. Article content The new season starts in November with MJ The Musical, which is not the story of Michael Jackson's life, but rather of his Dangerous World Tour of 1992, and how it was created. It features 25 of his greatest hits, including Beat It, Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal and Thriller. There are also medleys of his songs with the Jackson 5, and from his first albums. Article content Article content Article content The second show of the season, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, is still on Broadway, and it is the stage version of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film set in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. It swept the 2020 Tony Awards, winning 10, including best musical. Article content Back by popular demand is Mamma Mia!, which debuted in London in 1999. It is the story of a girl who doesn't know which of the three men her mother dated one summer in Greece is her father, so she invites all three to her wedding. This farcical story features the music of ABBA, and is estimated to have been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide. Article content The fourth show of the season is Clue, a comedy based on the 1985 film of the famous board game. It is a wildly funny farce and not a musical, a rarity for Broadway Across Canada. Article content The fifth show, which is an option, is the musical Les Misérables. This is the new version of the musical, which uses projections instead of the original turntable. Les Misérables, which opened in 1985, is still playing in London, making it the second-longest running musical in British theatre. Article content
Calgary Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Broadway Across Canada tour packed with big shows
Article content Broadway Across Canada's new season includes two shows still on Broadway, two old favourites, and a non-musical. Article content The new season starts in November with MJ The Musical, which is not the story of Michael Jackson's life, but rather of his Dangerous World Tour of 1992, and how it was created. It features 25 of his greatest hits, including Beat It, Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal and Thriller. There are also medleys of his songs with the Jackson 5, and from his first albums. Article content Article content Article content The second show of the season, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, is still on Broadway, and it is the stage version of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film set in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. It swept the 2020 Tony Awards, winning 10, including best musical. Article content Back by popular demand is Mamma Mia!, which debuted in London in 1999. It is the story of a girl who doesn't know which of the three men her mother dated one summer in Greece is her father, so she invites all three to her wedding. This farcical story features the music of ABBA, and is estimated to have been seen by more than 70 million people worldwide. Article content The fourth show of the season is Clue, a comedy based on the 1985 film of the famous board game. It is a wildly funny farce and not a musical, a rarity for Broadway Across Canada. Article content The fifth show, which is an option, is the musical Les Misérables. This is the new version of the musical, which uses projections instead of the original turntable. Les Misérables, which opened in 1985, is still playing in London, making it the second-longest running musical in British theatre.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Van Halen and and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather are reportedly working on a new Van Halen album
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A remarkable report has emerged from the Dutch newspaper De Telegraf that says a new Van Halen album is in the works, with Alex Van Halen reaching out to Steve Lukather of Toto to fill in for the late Eddie Van Halen on electric guitar. After Eddie's death on 6 October 2020, the Van Halen story has been one of tribute tours that have never got off the ground. No one could have foreseen a reality in which we might hear a new album from the band. Lukather and Eddie were close friends. Both famously played on Michael Jackson's Beat It, a groundbreaking moment in pop history. They had jammed onstage together. Eddie even played bass guitar on Lukather's 1989 solo debut, sharing writing credits on album opener Twist The Knife. The pair would later embrace the festive spirt on Lukather's 2003 Christmas album, Santamental, Eddie playing on Joy To The World. Alex Van Halen, Eddie's older brother and drummer for the Californian rock legends, tells De Telegraf [paywalled] that Lukather has the bona fides to join him on this project. 'Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends and they often worked together,' says Van Halen. 'There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can.' It is no secret that there is a wealth of unfinished song ideas and archive material in the Van Halen vault. Speaking to Rolling Stone upon the launch of his memoir, Alex shared some previously unheard material, recorded some time post-2000, that 'never became anything' but now, perhaps, it's time may come. And there are many more songs like this, riffs, melodies and the raw materials of songs that could yet be finished. 'They're all little pieces,' said Alex. 'A bunch of licks don't make a song.' He then admitted that he had reached out to OpenAI about the potential for generative AI to analyse his brother's ideas and synthesize something from them. He says he has Robert Plant in mind to sing on them. There was no reporting on who might front the band on this new Van Halen album. David Lee Roth's last studio work with Van Halen was in 2012 for A Different Kind Of Truth, which has had a troubled legacy. Roth did not like it. Details about this post-Eddie Van Halen album are scarce. But De Telegraaf spoke to Steve Lukather after Toto's show in the Netherlands, and he confirmed that he is involved. 'Did Alex say that? Oh, in that case the news is true,' said Lukather. 'Ed, Alex and I were very close for years. It is true that we worked on it together.'
