#2009 rock your body home anniversary tour

[junker-town]

Steve McNair’s death weighs on the NFL every Fourth of July

It’s been nine years since McNair’s murder.

Anxiety reigns among NFL leadership during the July 4 holiday. All recognize its reverent meaning for the nation.

But it is also a signature offseason event that can result in accidents and even tragedy for NFL players.

NFL defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, blew off part of his right hand four years ago toying with fireworks on July 4th while a member of the Giants.

Tragically, NFL legendary quarterback Steve McNair was murdered nine years ago on this holiday.

McNair’s murder on July 4, 2009 rocked the NFL’s core.

Police ruled it a murder-suicide committed by Sahel Kazemi, a woman McNair was involved with in an affair. It is an example long since discussed by NFL teams with their players on how deeply choices can matter.

I spoke with McNair’s mother, Lucille, from her home in Mt. Olive, Miss., last Sunday night. She is preparing for the ninth anniversary of her son’s death with the same resolve since his murder, insistent that his mistakes will not define him for her any more than his NFL success and rich community service. She simply celebrates the love for her son.

His former coach, Jeff Fisher, remembers.

“I was traveling on a USO tour with Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, John Harbaugh and Tom Coughlin,’’ Fisher said. “I was sitting on a tarmac in Kuwait. I turned my phone on not even expecting it to work. And it rang. It was from 27-27.’’

That was former running back Eddie George’s Tennessee Titans uniform number.

“I definitely remember the call,’’ George said. “I was driving with my wife from an event in Atlanta back to Nashville.’’

Fisher answered: “Hello, Eddie?”

George blurted: “Is it true?’’

Fisher asked: “Is what true?’’

That is how Fisher learned of McNair’s murder.

“They set me up with a phone in a Kuwait hotel where I could begin to directly get back to Nashville and learn more. I flew back to Nashville and had the press conference. I think of Steve every day. But the 4th of July every year rings home to me that we lost our buddy. These stories are important. His story is important. This is a very dangerous time of year for NFL players where career-ending things can happen, as simple as tearing up your knee water skiing, to tragic things happening. The more we talk about it with players, the more we might help them become wiser and safer.’’

George explained that he and Fisher will always share a unique bond from that phone call.

“After we hung up, I got a call from a friend of mine on the Nashville police department who told me they were bringing Steve’s body out of an apartment complex,’’ George said. “Every July 4th I remember that. It’s still hard to fathom that Steve is no longer here. He meant a lot to a lot of different people and especially to his teammates.

The NFL has long performed the delicate dance of attempting to counsel and advise their players without intruding into their personal lives. Some teams are much better at it than others.

The onus falls on the players.

I remember a conversation with former Bears and Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith, now University of Illinois head coach, who said: “When I went off to college, my mother told me, ‘Lovie, don’t do this and Lovie don’t do that.’ I did it. Kids do. And kids come to the NFL and they are searching, finding their way. And they grow into men and that are constantly trying to figure things out. The life they live is a blessing, but it can be a maze.’’

So how do NFL players learn to navigate it?

“The answer is to live respectfully and that falls on each individual player,’’ George said. “What you do in darkness comes to light. And in their situations, everything they do is magnified to the 10th degree. You can become a victim. You can be in a difficult situation that was none of your control. But in what you can control, don’t be that headline. Don’t be that story.’’

Independence Day is an explosive, worrisome period for the NFL and for the nation.

The National Safety Council calls it the most dangerous holiday period of the year. It estimates as many as 194 deaths and 22,000 injuries will occur this week in road traffic accidents. Swimming and firework tragedies abound.

Several incidents minor and major happen with NFL players during this period that are unreported, NFL coaches and executives say.

Each NFL team concluded its final offseason camp within the last two weeks. Each NFL coach spoke to his departing players about safety and decision-making during this time off before the start of training camps later this month.

“It’s this week that falls on the NFL calendar that is a major concern,’’ said Fisher. “The players rightfully get a little down time. July 4th in the back of many of their minds is the last time to blow off some steam. They come to camp in the best shape of their lives and a lot of that final preparation for it ramps up right after the July 4th holiday.’’

George offered: “This window, this July 4th celebration time is their last one to let loose, have fun. It’s a time where they can become irresponsible. It’s a time where they sometimes take things for granted.’’

It is a time where the NFL has painfully learned to hope for the best.

And prepare for the worst.

[netunleashed-blog]

Lady Gaga: everything we know about her new, sixth album, tour plans and Vegas residency

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=23900 Lady Gaga: everything we know about her new, sixth album, tour plans and Vegas residency - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=23900 2018 has been a busy year for the ‘Perfect Illusion’ pop icon, following a last minute emergency cancellation of the remaining 10 European dates of her ‘Joanne World Tour’ in February. Gaga- real name Stefani Joanne Germanotta- suffers from Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition which causes extreme pain all over the body, insomnia and triggers emotional distress. A cure for the long term condition is yet to be found and treatment for sufferers remains very limited. Germanotta, however, is putting her recovery time to good use and is confirmed to be recording her sixth studio album, LG6 (a working title)  at Electric Lady Studios in her home city, NYC, as well as attending NYC Pride, filming A Star Is Born and reportedly getting engaged to her talent agent, Christian Carino. When can we expect new Lady Gaga music? As of now, no new release has been announced. However, looking through the artist’s discography you can notice a pattern of a new album being released roughly every two years: ‘ The Fame’ (2008), ‘The Fame Monster’ (2009), ‘Born this way’ (2011),’ ARTPOP’ (2014), ‘Cheek to Cheek’ (2015) and ‘Joanne’ (2016). Therefore, a betting person might suggest we can expect her new record later this year, however this theory will be challenged by the release of ‘A Star is Born’  in October, in which the six-time Grammy winner takes a leading role alongside director and writer Bradley Cooper. Although followers of Mother monster will be thrilled to see her in a lead role, this does mean that LG6 is likely to be pushed back until some point in 2019. Gaga has also confirmed that she will be providing the soundtrack for the film and footage of her conducting an orchestra has been linked to the soundtrack, another skill that can be added to her repertoire. Who is Lady Gaga working with? The American Horror Story actress’ fifth studio record saw her team up with the likes of Beck, Father John Misty, Florence Welch, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. Fans are eager to see who will help bring LG6 to life. DJ Whiteshadow, the producer of ARTPOP hits ‘Applause’ and ‘Do what U want’, as well as large portions of  ‘Born this Way’, has confirmed his involvement in LG6 via a now deleted Instagram post. Bloodpopm, the electropop producer, real name Michael Tucker, produced every song on ‘Joanne’ and has worked with HAIM and Britney Spears. Tucker has been spotted on multiple occasions entering Electric Lady Studios. Sophie, the Scottish avant-pop producer, had been anticipated to join forces with Gaga after the release of her debut album ‘Oil of every pearl’s Un-Insides’ Sophie confirmed the rumours when asked by fans, stating “I’m working on a lot of different things. If it comes out, then that’s cool. But yeah, she’s a cool person” okay so i met SOPHIE last night after her show and she CONFIRMED THAT SHE’S WORKING WITH GAGA OMGPLEASE RETWEET THIS SO EVERYONE KNOWS PLEASE @BraveForGaga95 @ladygaga_JWT @LGMonsterFacts @gagasyuyi @fkajack @AMENARTPOP @ladygaga pic.twitter.com/cxucufWINR — melodrama ⭐️ (@_thefamem0nst3r) July 8, 2018 Mark Ronson, the man behind ‘Uptown Funk’, Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Villains’ and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ played an integral role on ‘Joanne’. In the process he and Gaga became close friends, as shown in the 2017 Netflix doc Five Foot Two, which featured Mark and documented the life of Lady Gaga during the recording of ‘Joanne’. It is no surprise that Ronson will return for LG6. Boys Noize– the German DJ revealed this surprise collab via a tweet saying Gaga had spilled water over his equipment, she later responded saying that she had “resurrected it with a blow dryer. It was a christening” This spillage mishap confirmed their joining of forces. Lady Gaga spilled water over my modular system 💦 — Boys Noize (@boysnoize) April 18, 2018 Will there be collaborations? It has been heavily rumored that Miley Cyrus will feature on LG6. The ‘Malibu’ singer has been frequenting Electric Lady Studios to record her seventh studio album. Therefore, Miley is often in the studio at the same time as Gaga and is said to be working with Mark Ronson too. A fan claims Miley told him that she could “neither confirm nor deny” a collab, adding fuel to the fire. Lady Gaga collaborations are few are far between but when they happen they are great – Florence Welch on ‘Joanne’ track ‘Hey Girl’ and Beyoncé on ‘The Fame Monster’ megahit ‘Telephone’ are a few examples. What will Lady Gaga’s sixth album sound like? ‘Joanne’ was a departure from Gaga’s signature electropop avant-garde style and took an earthier and toned down approach, incorporating piano, brass and guitar. Some diehard Little Monsters were reluctant to accept the more country and rock influenced direction and found solace in the party anthems ‘John Wayne’ and ‘Dancin’ In Circles’. What’s next for Mother Monster is a mystery. With the likes of Sophie and Boys Noize joining team Gaga, an experimental edge to LG6 is highly likely. The return of Mark Ronson promises listeners catchy and elevated songs and Bloodpop is sure to bring his unique flair. DJ Whiteshadow marked the fourth anniversary of ‘ARTPOP’ on Instagram stating “I can’t wait to introduce you to your little sister. #LG6.” This hints at a return to the arty-EDM of tracks such as ‘Donnatella’ and ‘Swine’ Perhaps the next album will mix the styles of Gaga’s earlier pop anthems to her more recent country and jazz endeavors. The current list of producers suggests a return to electropop but then again, this is Lady Gaga we are talking about, and one thing is for sure – we will be surprised. Will Gaga be touring? The ‘Born this way’ songstress has signed a two-year contract for a Las Vegas Residency beginning December 2018. Whether her next solo record will receive its own tour is unknown as the residency may very well be showcasing songs from LG6 and could counterfeit as a tour for the album. International Little Monsters will hope Gaga tours worldwide considering the vast majority of the Joanne world tour was set in North America and the European dates were postponed and then cancelled indefinitely. The Las Vegas ticket package is reportedly titled ‘Enigma and limited Jazz& Piano engagement’. The title has lead to speculation that LG6 will be called ‘Enigma’. The jazz and piano engagement sparks anticipation that she will reunite with her ‘Cheek To Cheek’ collaborator Tony Bennett. In her press release, Gaga says “It’s the land of Elvis, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack, Elton John, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. It has been a life-long dream of mine to play Las Vegas.” Tickets for Lady Gaga’s Las Vegas residency are on sale now. By Kyle Campbell Source link