Day: August 15, 2025

Music

From Dolly Parton to Johnny Cash: ‘Americana’ Cast Channels Country Legends in New Posters

Post author By alaskaadmin
Post date August 15, 2025
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Actress Sydney Sweeney, whose recent American Eagle ad has been making headlines, stars in the upcoming film Americana as Penny Jo, a small-town waitress with dreams of becoming a country music star.

The crime-drama also features Paul Walter Hauser as “Lefty” Ledbetter, Halsey as Mandy Starr, Eric Dane as Dillon MacIntosh, Zahn McClarnon as Ghost Eye, and Simon Rex as Roy Lee Dean.

Americana Movie Poster

Americana follows a group of dynamic characters whose lives collide over the possession of a rare Native American artifact in what’s being billed as a “wildly entertaining modern-day western.”

After the artifact lands on the black market, Sweeney’s character teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Hauser) to reclaim it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal (Dane) working for a shady Western antiques dealer (Rex). Tensions rise when others join the hunt, including the leader of an Indigenous group (McClarnon) and a desperate woman fleeing her mysterious past (Halsey).

In promotion of the film, Lionsgate created posters mirroring those of iconic country music albums, each featuring one of the stars of the film.

As part of the promotional campaign for Americana, Lionsgate has unveiled a series of striking posters inspired by iconic country music album covers, each reimagined with one of the film’s stars.

Dolly Parton, Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney channels Dolly Parton’s Jolene (1974), the legendary album that introduced the world to both its title track and the timeless “I Will Always Love You,” written for Porter Wagoner.

Willie Nelson, Paul Walter Hauser

Paul Walter Hauser takes on Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger (1975), perfectly capturing the outlaw spirit of the original.

Johnny Cash, Halsey

Halsey pays tribute to “The Man in Black” with a recreation of The Legend of Johnny Cash (2005), the hit compilation that spanned the icon’s decades-long career.

Chris Stapleton, Simon Rex

Simon Rex steps into modern country territory with a recreation of Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2 (2017).

Dwight Yoakam, Eric Dane

Eric Dane brings a retro flair by reimagining Dwight Yoakam’s This Time (1993), his fifth studio release.

Willie Nelson, Zahn McClarnon

Willie Nelson’s influence pops up again in Zahn McClarnon’s take on Shotgun Willie (1973), one of the records that cemented Nelson’s outlaw image.

John Prine, Gavin Maddox Bergman

Finally, Gavin Maddox Bergman tips his hat to folk-country great John Prine, recreating the singer-songwriter’s self-titled debut from 1971.

Americana is set to release on August 15, 2025.

The post From Dolly Parton to Johnny Cash: ‘Americana’ Cast Channels Country Legends in New Posters appeared first on Country Now.

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R&B

Teyana Taylor Shares ‘Escape Room’ Track List

Post author By alaskaadmin
Post date August 15, 2025
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Teyana Taylor continues the rollout of her upcoming album Escape Room, unveiling the star-studded tracklist.

The R&B star and multi-hyphenate entertainer’s album (which drops August 22) includes guest features like Jill Scott, Tyla, Lucky Daye, and Kaytranada. The family-oriented singer also includes her children, Rue Rose and Junie Shumpert, on the album’s closing track. Taylor showcases her passion for acting on the album, adding narrative interludes from award-winning actors Taraji P. Henson, Sarah Paulson, La La, Niecey Nash, Tasha Smith, Jodie Turner-Smith, Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, and Regina King. The track list announcement shows Taylor’s brain and body connected to multiple wires, teasing the album’s cinematic experience.

Escape Room features lead single ‘Long Time,’ a fitting title as the album marks Taylor’s first LP in five years. Taylor announced Escape Room with a trailer for the album’s accompanying short film, which co-stars Lakeith Stanfield and Aaron Pierre. The artist wrote, directed, and produced the film alongside her all-female production company, the Aunties.

Escape Room follows 2020’s The Album, which received a RIAA gold certification back in June. During an appearance on The Today Show, Taylor was given gold plaques for The Album and 2018’s K.T.S.E., along with platinum plaques for a couple of her singles.

While Taylor took a brief pause from music, she became even more active in her acting career, starring in 2021’s Coming 2 America. In 2023, she appeared in A Thousand and One, White Men Can’t Jump, and The Book of Clarence. This year, her projects include Tyler Perry’s Straw (which premiered on Netflix in June) and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Set for a September release, she’ll star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn. She’s also set to join Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in The Rip on Netflix and is part of Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair alongside Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, and Sarah Paulson.

Discover more about the world’s greatest R&B artists | uDiscover Music

R&B

‘End Of The Road’: Boyz II Men Begin An Epic Stint At The Summit

Post author By alaskaadmin
Post date August 15, 2025
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A momentous date in US chart history, as well as in the latter-day Motown story, arrived on August 15, 1992. It was the start of the road for “End Of The Road.” Philadelphia group Boyz II Men went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the epic ballad — little realizing that it would still be there 13 weeks later, in a run that stretched from summer into late autumn, from August to November.

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The song, produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface and co-written by the pair with Daryl Simmons, was composed for the soundtrack of the movie Boomerang, starring Eddie Murphy. With Boyz II Men due back on the road the following day, Reid and Babyface flew to Philly and recorded all of their vocals in three hours.

Breaking Elvis’ record

What a record-breaking session that was. The song’s 13-week run broke a chart longevity record that had stood since 1956, when Elvis Presley’s double-sided “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” spent 11 weeks at the summit. Boyz II Men’s achievement didn’t last long, as before the end of 1992, Whitney Houston had started a 14-week sequence at the top with “I Will Always Love You.”

Not to be outdone, two years after “End Of The Road,” the Motown group themselves had a 14-week reign with “I’ll Make Love To You” and then, incredibly, a 16-week span in 1995 as guests on Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day.” Adding in their other No.1 late in 1994 with “On Bended Knee” (which ruled for “only” six weeks), and one in 1997 with “4 Seasons Of Loneliness,” Boyz II Men boast an extraordinary record of 50 weeks atop the Hot 100 with just five singles.

The group’s name, incidentally, was taken from one of their early inspirations. In their early days as a five-piece in 1988, they called themselves Unique Attraction, but would often cover the closing track on the Heart Break album released that year by one of their favourite groups, New Edition. It was called “Boys To Men.”

Shop Boyz II Men’s music on vinyl now.

Discover more about the world’s greatest R&B artists | uDiscover Music

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