Tag: ABBA

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News Round-Up: July 14, 2018

InstaHunk Joel Green is ready to take you on a ride :)

Some news items you might have missed:

• It’s the weekend! Who wants to go for a ride with InstaHunk Joel Green?

• Scarlett Johansson has withdrawn from the upcoming film, Rub & Tug, after a backlash about the actress playing a transgender role in the movie. “I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues,” she said.

• There’s going to be a Downton Abbey movie! Squeee! According to the BBC, the “original principal cast” will begin production later this summer, the film’s producers said.

• Republican Illinois Gov. Rauner is getting flack from conservatives for having the nerve to officiate the same-sex wedding of longtime friends. #srsly

• 80s super group ABBA just finished recording their first new tracks since 1982 and says ‘it was a fantastic experience.’

• From her upcoming album, Sweetener, Ariana Grande releases the female empowered music video for “God Is A Woman”, directed by Grammy Award®-winning director Dave Meyers.

The one-and-only Madonna offers a spoken-word cameo as ‘God’ along the way.

#divine.

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Listen: Cher Sings “Fernando” From MAMMA MIA 2

Cher sings the ABBA hit "Fernando" in the upcoming musical film 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'
Cher in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”

This might be something of a #FBF that’s looking forward as we finally get a chance to check out Cher’s full duet of ABBA’s “Fernando,” from the Mamma Mia 2 soundtrack.

Singing with actor Andy Garcia (woof!) on the track — the diva does exactly what she was brought in to do and takes the iconic 1980 song to ‘Cher Land.’

This marks the third track to be released in advance of Mamma Mia 2 hitting theaters on July 20.

Previously we’ve gotten a listen to “Waterloo” by Hugh Skinner and Lily James, and “When I Kissed the Teacher” featuring James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies and Celia Imrie.

The original Mamma Mia flick received mixed reviews from critics, but audiences loved it the musical mashup. The film scored a huge $615 million based on a $52 million budget, and became the 5th highest-grossing film of 2008.

So, get ready for July 20 when Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper and Julie Walters all return for the musical antics.

Take a listen to a sample of Cher’s “Fernando” below and then check out the full track on Spotify:

The official poster for 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'

In related Cher news, the Oscar winner recently told James Corden of The Late Late Show about the time she and Meryl Streep went out for ice cream in New York City and ended up saving a woman’s life.

Because, well, they’re Cher and Meryl Streep. Watch below.

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ABBA Reunites For First New Music Since 1982

Abba

So, this is pretty much what gay Christmas looks like!

Celebrate as the news arrives that 80s superband Abba has reunited and recorded new music – their first since breaking up in 1982.

But wait – there’s more!

From The Guardian:

The Swedish four-piece, who had nine No 1 hits in the UK between 1974 and 1980, and who have sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide, announced on Instagram that they had recorded two new songs for a project in which avatars of the band will perform.

The band said in a statement: “The decision to go ahead with the exciting Abba avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence. We all felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!”

One of the two new songs that resulted, called I Still Have Faith in You, will feature in a TV special to air in December.

The statement concluded: “We may have come of age, but the song is new. And it feels good.”

A post shared by @ abbaofficial on Apr 27, 2018 at 4:11am PDT

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Trailer: “Mamma Mia – Here We Go Again”

Via press release:

Ten years after Mamma Mia! The Movie grossed more than $600 million around the world, you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. With the film’s original cast returning and new additions including Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver), the musical comedy will open on July 20, 2018.

Reprising their roles from Mamma Mia! The Movie are Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep as Donna, Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya. Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper reunite as Sophie and Sky, while Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Oscar® winner Colin Firth return to play Sophie’s three possible dads: Sam, Bill and Harry.

As the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, James will play the role of Young Donna. Filling the roles of Young Rosie and Young Tanya are Alexa Davies (A Brilliant Young Mind) and Jessica Keenan Wynn (Broadway’s Beautiful). Young Sam will be played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), while Young Bill is Josh Dylan (Allied) and Young Harry is Hugh Skinner (Kill Your Friends).

What I can’t seem to figure out is whether or not Meryl Streep’s “Donna” is dead? Baranski and Walters speak of her in the past tense and Sophie says she can’t have a baby “all alone.”

Oh – and then there’s Cher, playing Meryl Streep’s mother, making quite the grand entrance.

Watch the trailer below.

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ABBA Reunites For First Time In 30 Years

A dream came true for ABBA fans as the four members of the pop music supergroup made a rare joint appearance this past weekend to commemorate the 50 year mark of the birth of the band.

Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad appeared onstage together for the first time in 30 years at Stockholm’s Berns Salonger Sunday for a private gala.

According to Billboard, Ulvaeus and Andersson met for the first time on June 5, 1966.

A friendship grew, ABBA was formed and the rest is, well, history.

Beloved for their fashion-forward looks, perfect harmonies and timeless pop hooks, ABBA sold more than 380 million albums worldwide in a career that exploded in 1974 with its Eurovision Song Contest-winning performance of “Waterloo”.

The act split in 1982 and hasn’t performed together since 1986. ABBA’s music has enjoyed a huge boost thanks to the lucrative Mamma Mia! stage show, which opened in 1999 in London and later became a Broadway hit. The jukebox musical has grossed more than $2 billion from more than 40 international stage adaptations and been seen by more than 55 million people.

Legend would have it the members of ABBA once turned down a $1 billion fee to reunite for a tour.

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ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog makes surprise appearance with Gary Barlow

Via Contact Music: ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog stunned fans by hitting the stage for a surprise performance at a London charity concert, marking her first high-profile gig in 25 years.

The Swedish singer, who has reportedly not performed in front of an audience for more than two decades, was the surprise guest at Gary Barlow’s Children In Need Rocks concert, which was held at the city’s Eventim Apollo venue.

Faltskog performed her duet with Barlow, “I Should’ve Followed You Home”, to raise cash for the BBC’s annual Children In Need charity event, which supports underprivileged kids around the world.

(h/t JMG)

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Video: Olivia Newton-John sings “Waterloo” at Cardiff concert

Olivia Newton-John, currently on tour in the UK, incorporates a bit of ABBA’s “Waterloo” into her concert in honor of her experience as Britain’s entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. Olivia explains that she’s quite proud to have been a runner-up to ABBA 🙂

Thanks to Nabil for the video!

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ABBA fans – new song from Agnetha Fältskog

Agnetha Fältskog, of the super group ABBA, has released a single – “When You Really Loved Someone” – that will be on her new CD set for release May 13.

According to Billboard:

Agnetha has been working with Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Jorgen Elofsson (Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion and Westlife) and producer/arranger Peter Nordahl on her new album, which includes one of Agnetha first co-writes in many years. “I hadn’t written any music for a long, long time,” she says in a statement. “But I sat at the piano, and suddenly it was there.”

After 10 years of mega hits like “Waterloo” and “Dancing Queen” and selling over 100 million records, the group disbanded in 1982.

(via Towleroad)