Obituary: Betty Davis, flamboyant funk singer famed for raucous performances

Building a good foundation! Penn and Kim Holderness used their time in couples therapy as an asset while competing on season 33 of The Amazing Race.

Skylar Astin is taking on a new role!

Skylar Astin, coming off his starring role on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, has been tapped as the male lead opposite Geena Davis in CBS’ mother-and-son legal drama pilot from writer/executive producer Scott Prendergast and executive producer Phil McGraw.

Chris Willman Music WriterWhen the entertainer of the year prize is handed out at tonight’s Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, the odds strongly favor a WME Nashville client picking up the climactic trophy. That’s because the agency has four of the five nominees, between Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton.

Freddie Mercury.In the post’s caption, the actor wrote: “This was sent to me from a friend. C’est moi at university about 42 years ago.

Clayton Davis The best picture Oscar race is in a dead heat, with any number of paths to victory. But there’s another fierce competition, years in the making, to be the first streaming giant to win the Academy Awards’ most coveted honor.On the television side, Netflix and Amazon each made a play to become the first streamer to win the Emmy Award for either of the top series categories, but Hulu shattered the glass ceiling with “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2017.

First to cross the finish line! Spoiler alert: Kim and Penn Holderness were crowned the winning team during The Amazing Race season 33 finale, which aired on Wednesday, March 2.

Sophie Rundle has made a return to our screens thanks to the release of the sixth, and final, season of the BBC hit show Peaky Blinders. Reprising her role of Ada Shelby - gang boss Tommy’s sister - the 33 year old has been a staple on our TV sets since the show’s debut back in 2013. So, as we watch Ada and co on the Birmingham-based show for the very last time, here’s a look at the talented actress’ life off-screen… Successful acting career Though Sophie may be best known for her role as Ada Shelby, her career in the world of acting is far more than the BBC drama.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterMary J. Blige’s iconic ’90s song “Real Love” is being turned into a Lifetime movie, with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul executive producing the made-for-TV film.One of her most beloved and memorable tracks, “Real Love” was Blige’s first song to hit the Top 10 and was certified gold two months after its release in 1992.Per Lifetime, in the coming-of-age romantic drama “Real Love,” Kendra sets off on her own for the first time to a college in upstate New York, determined to focus on her studies.

Richard Pratt was the bass singer with Philadelphia soul group Blue Magic, known for hits including “Sideshow.”We invite you to share condolences for Richard Pratt in our Guest Book.Pratt was a founding member of Blue Magic in 1972 in Philadelphia. Some of their earliest singles were moderately successful on R&B radio, including 1973’s “Spell” and “Stop to Start.” Their biggest success came in 1974 with “Sideshow,” a slow and dreamy ballad with a circus theme.

Clayton Davis For the second year in a row, the race for best actress is wide open, with key precursors to the Academy Awards yet to be determined.The Oscar nominees are Jessica Chastain for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures), Olivia Colman for “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix), Penélope Cruz for “Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics), Nicole Kidman for “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios) and Kristen Stewart for “Spencer” (Neon/Topic Studios). No performance is from a best picture nominee, a first since the 2005 lineup.

Viola Davis stars in Showtime’s The First Lady in the role of Michelle Obama, and she admits she’s nervous about what the former First Lady will think of her performance. The anthology drama is set to premiere on April 17.

Chris Willman Music WriterA second round of performers has been announced for the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, with Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Jordan Davis, Brittney Spencer, Mitchell Tenpenny, Jason Aldean and leading ACMs nominee Chris Young joining the lineup.More specific plans for some of the previously announced performers have also been revealed. Dolly Parton, who’ll be hosting the commercial-free Prime Video webcast from Allegiant Stadium, will be joined for a performance of her new album’s “Big Dreams and Faded Dreams” by Kelsea Ballerini.The two-hour show will kick off with a collaborative two-song set by Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett, who are up for male and female artist of the year.

The state of Texas sued influencer Brittany Dawn Davis over claims that her online fitness program allegedly misled and negatively impacted clients who suffered from eating disorders.

Queen of Funk Betty Davis died aged 77 on Wednesday 9 February from natural causes. Betty had been married to well-known musician Miles Davis — who was 19 years her senior — and, over the course of her music career, released hit songs like Get Ready for Betty, It’s My Life, If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up between 1964 and 1975. Miles and Betty were only married for a year.

Betty Davis has died from natural causes at the age of 77. The legendary funk and soul star - who was known for writing overtly sexual lyrics and remembered for her marriage to jazz legend Miles Davis - passed away on Wednesday (09. 02.

NEW YORK -- Betty Davis, a bold and pioneering funk singer, model and songwriter of the 1960s and ‘70s who was credited with inspiring then-husband Miles Davis’ landmark fusion of jazz and more contemporary sounds, has died at age 77.Davis died early Wednesday after a brief illness, according to Danielle Maggio, a singer, adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and associate producer of the 2017 documentary “Betty: They Say I’m Different." Davis spent part of her childhood in Pittsburgh and settled there during the second half of her life.Sometimes referred to as “Madonna before Madonna,” Davis was the rare woman to make funk albums in the 1970s, and her three albums from that time were showcases for her fearless personality and sexuality and insistence on control of her material and her image. Davis producer Greg Errico, former drummer for Sly and the Family Stone, would call her style “down and dirty funk." Her records sold modestly at the time, but their impact has been cited often in the decades following.“The reach of her influence & sonic lineage is immense,” the author and critic Hanif Abdurraqib tweeted Wednesday.

Betty Davis, a commercially unsuccessful but immensely influential soul, funk, and R&B singer, died today of natural causes, a representative confirmed in an email to The FADER. Born Betty Mabry in Durham, North Carolina, she moved to New York in the early '60s to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Legendary funk singer Betty Davis passed away at the age of 77 on Wednesday.