Latest news with #Hancock
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's What Happened at the Royal Swedish Ceremony That Honored Queen's Brian May & Roger Taylor and Herbie Hancock
Legendary rockers Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, master jazz artist Herbie Hancock and conductor/soprano and contemporary classical musician Barbara Hannigan received their Polar Music Prize awards from the hands of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in the Vinterträdgården room of Stockholm's elegant Grand Hôtel on Tuesday (May 27). The 500-plus-person audience, made up of Swedish royalty, music industry players (artists, songwriters, publishers, execs and more) and friends and family of the laureates, rose to its feet many times during the six-hour event, as each of the laureates delivered heartfelt speeches. Hannigan thanked her mentors with a special mention for her (five minutes older) twin brother Brian; Hancock spoke of his father's support for his musical career even though he wanted his son to be an engineer; and May also talked about his late father Harold, who helped him build his original Red Special electric guitar (also known as the 'Old Lady'), which May owns to this day. More from Billboard Looking Back on 30 Years of Sweden's Polar Music Prize Morgan Wallen's 'I'm the Problem' & 'What I Want' With Tate McRae Launch Atop Billboard's Country Charts Post Malone Brings Out NBA Legend Allen Iverson for 'White Iverson' Performance in Philadelphia The event began with a royal ceremony, in the presence of not just the King but several members of Sweden's Royal Family, followed by a multi-course banquet. The laureates were serenaded during both halves of the Polar Music Prive evening by a number of Swedish and international musicians playing music written by or performed by the three musical icons during their careers. Jazz vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding and pianist/producer Robert Glasper got an ovation for their rendition of the Hancock composition 'Trust Me,' and returned to the stage to perform Hancock's seminal 'Watermelon Man.' Spalding then teamed with Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese for a stunning performance of Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now,' in honor of Hancock's 2007 album River: The Joni Letters. That tribute album to Mitchell won the Grammy for album of the year in 2008. The audience did not wait for that performance to end to give it a standing ovation. Similar ovations showed the attendees' love for Adam Lambert's versions of Queen's 'Who Wants to Live Forever' at the ceremony and 'Another One Bites the Dust' at the banquet, as May and Taylor looked on approvingly. The biggest ovation of the night went to Sweden's Ghost, who recently topped the Billboard 200 with their album Skeletá. Frontman Tobias Forge donned a golden mask and was accompanied by Swedish heavy metal guitarist Fredrik Åkesson and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, singing a cappella from a balcony high above the banquet tables, for a tour-de-force on 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' As the evening was coming to a close, Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize and daughter of the award's founder, ABBA manager Stig 'Stikkan' Anderson, received an overwhelming response from the banquet guests as she thanked her father as well as her mother Gudrun, the Royal Family, the laureates and the entire assembled audience. Ledin spoke about each of the laureates in turn: 'Let me begin with Queen – this much-loved band are truly rock royalty! As a big fan myself, I've been lucky enough to have seen them in concert several times here in Stockholm. They taught me that music can be bold, dramatic, fascinating and fun. 'Herbie Hancock is a true musical pioneer and one of the most influential musicians of our time. He has taught us that music can challenge us intellectually even as it enriches our soul. Herbie has deservedly earned the admiration of musicians across all genres. 'Barbara Hannigan is a visionary soprano and conductor, and a passionate advocate for contemporary music. With her avant-garde experimentation, she proves that classical music does not have to live in the past, but is a living, breathing art form in itself.' The 2025 laureates were also honored by the presence of three previous laureates, Max Martin (2016), Anne-Sophie Mutter (2019) and Nile Rodgers (2024). One more special guest was Anita Dobson, who was in attendance with her husband Brian May. Dobson is having an especially great week, as she has guest starred on every episode of the current season of the BBC's Doctor Who and will play a large part in the season finale on Saturday (May 31), though she wouldn't reveal any details about the conclusion of her story arc to Billboard (as she shouldn't). The Polar Music Prize was first awarded in 1992, to Paul McCartney and the Baltic States, newly independent from the former Soviet Union. Since then, the prestige of the prize has only grown, with awards going to artists from all over the world. A partial list includes Elton John, Ravi Shankar, Metallica, Ennio Morricone, Led Zeppelin, Renée Fleming, Grandmaster Flash, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Isaac Stern, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Sonny Rollins, Diane Warren, Gilberto Gil, B.B. King, Emmylou Harris, Yo-Yo Ma, Miriam Makeba, Björk, Wayne Shorter, Patti Smith, Dizzy Gillespie, Chris Blackwell, Iggy Pop, Angélique Kidjo, the Kronos Quartet, Youssou N'Dour and Chuck Berry. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hancock & Kelley: Response to St. Louis tornado, NTSB report on fatal I-70 bus crash
ST. LOUIS – It was another Sunday morning of sometimes heated but always civil political debate on Hancock and Kelley for Sunday, May 25, 2025. Republican consultant John Hancock and Democratic consultant Michael Kelley discussed the following topics: The response to a deadly tornado in St. Louis includes tears, a staff changeover due to failure over sounding warning sirens, and a lack of timely help from the Trump administration. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issues findings on a deadly I-70 bus crash related to a dangerous lack of rest area parking spaces; an area congressman is 'shouting from the rooftops.' Former President Joe Biden has prostate cancer. The political right is sympathetic but also suspicious. Why? Our Quote of the Week is a call to 'back the blue' after three police officers are shot in Fairview Heights, Illinois. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Economist
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economist
How Graham Hancock became conspiracy theorists' favourite historian
Graham Hancock was peeved. He had been hoping to film at the Great Serpent Mound in southern Ohio for his Netflix documentary series, 'Ancient Apocalypse', the latest adventure in his 30-year campaign to uncover evidence of a lost Ice Age civilisation. Although most scholars think the snake-shaped earthworks were constructed by Native Americans either 900 or 2,300 years ago, Hancock believes they are around 13,000 years old. But he would not be able to take viewers on a tour because he was stuck outside the car park.
Axios
22-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Bank of America golf program helps Austin kids
A program launched by Bank of America is making golf cheap for kids. Why it matters: Golf with Us is one of a number of initiatives in Austin and across the country aiming to make a sport long associated with country clubs more accessible. How it works: Through a partnership with Youth on Course, a nonprofit that makes golf more financially accessible to children, Bank of America is funding golf for kids ages 6–18 at thousands of courses around the country. As part of the initiative, kids and teens can get a free golf lesson from pro athletes and celebrities. Kids can enroll in a free one-year membership to Youth on Course through May 24. Zoom in: Golf with Us includes access to Hancock, Lions, Morris Williams, Harvey Penick, Jimmy Clay, Roy Kizer, Point Venture and Lago Vista golf courses for $5 or less per round. 18-hole rounds for teenagers normally start at $14 on Austin courses. Meanwhile, another program trying to get kids on Austin courses is First Tee, a nonprofit that aims to help kids build confidence and manage their emotions through golf. What they're saying:"At Bank of America, we believe in building stronger communities from the ground up, starting with our youth," said David Bader, Bank of America Austin president.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Matt Hancock gives verdict on botched Covid 'test and trace' operation
Former health secretary Matt Hancock is grilled at the Covid-19 Inquiry about setting up a privatised "test and trace" service which failed to prevent repeated lockdowns Matt Hancock has defended Britain's botched pandemic 'test and trace' operation at the Covid-19 Inquiry which failed to prevent repeated lockdowns. The former Health Secretary outsourced the nation's vital contact tracing rather than beefing up existing NHS and local public health laboratories and its failure contributed to the need for further lockdown measures. The disgraced ex-minister blamed health leaders for being unable to scale up testing laboratories, insisting 'Public Health England didn't have the operational capacity to scale [up]' The Tories' privatised 'NHS Test and Trace' operation was set up in May 2020 costing £37 billion and led by Mr Hancock's friend, Tory Peer Baroness Dido Harding. Outsourcing firms like Serco were paid millions to call people and advise them to self-isolate but used agency call centre staff paid the minimum wage who were largely not medically trained. The former I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant said: 'The critical thing is that we absolutely must, as a nation, be ready to expand and radically expand testing capacity. Once the test is developed, I had to do that. 'And there are critics who said that it was done in the wrong way. What matters is that it's done and it is planned for next time to be ready to be done.' PM Boris Johnson promised a " world beating" system but the Public Accounts Committee later found NHS Test and Trace failed in its main objective of breaking chains of COVID-19 transmission. A BBC investigation at the time showed only half of close contacts were being reached in some areas. Mr Hancock said Public Health England (PHE) 'proved entirely incapable of expanding that testing capacity', adding: 'It was a cottage industry and we needed industrial scale capacity'. The inquiry heard how Mr Hancock set up a contract tracing system 'from scratch' rather than providing the funding to upgrade local authority labs and facilities run by PHE. The barrister questioning Mr Hancock on behalf of the inquiry asked whether he was aware that local contact tracing systems already existed. Sophie Cartright KC said: 'Did you appreciate that, that the directors of public health within local authority is discharged and performed the role of contact tracing? There was this resource in every local authority across the United Kingdom that had the resources.' Mr Hancock responded: 'Of course I appreciated that. There was one person in each of the upper tier local authorities and therefore, around 100 people, brilliant people, I engaged with a huge number of them throughout the pandemic. But the idea that they alone could have solved this problem was, unfortunately, the wrong attitude.' Mr Hancock resigned as health secretary in 2021 after admitting breaching social distancing guidance after photos showed him in a romantic embrace with colleague Gina Coladangelo. Lack of NHS testing capacity meant testing everyone who had Covid symptoms had to be abandoned early in the pandemic once 'community transmission' was established in the UK. Mr Hancock told the inquiry: 'The doctrine that we had going into the pandemic, that was shared by most of the Western world and the World Health Organisation, was wrong. 'The advice I received from Public Health England was that we should not need or try to test at scale or contact trace at scale as soon as there was community based transmission. There was no point in testing and contact tracing any further outside of hospitals because, effectively, everybody was going to get infected. 'That was the wrong attitude and it is absolutely critical that next time there's a pandemic… we are ready to take the actions to stop it spreading and protect the most vulnerable first.' He concluded: 'The single most important thing is to conclude that the industrial scale, expansion of testing is necessary and we need to be ready to do it.'
