First steps have been made by several US politicians to have Congress award Prince a congressional gold medal for his “impact to the culture”.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, as reported by The Guardian, said in Capitol Hill earlier this week that the late musician showed her “it was OK to be a short, Black kid from Minneapolis and still change the world”.

The ‘Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act’ was proposed in a resolution co-sponsored and led by Omar as well as Senator Amy Klobuchar, who said, “Purple reigns in Minnesota everyday because of him.”

“The world is a whole lot cooler because Prince was in it — he touched our hearts, opened our minds, and made us want to dance,” Klobuchar said.

“With this legislation, we honor his memory and contributions as a composer, performer, and music innovator.”

Omar continued, saying “He not only changed the arc of music history; he put Minneapolis on the map… I am proud to introduce this resolution to give Prince the recognition he deserves.”

For the honour to be given to Prince, who passed away in 2016, at least two-thirds of the Senate and the House must approve the resolution before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The ‘Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act’ asks that the medal be given to the Smithsonian Institution, should it pass, and put on display, specifically at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Only 163 congressional gold medals have been awarded since the first was given to George Washington over two centuries ago. Only a handful of musicians have received the honour, the latest being Frank Sinatra, who was posthumously given the medal in 1997. Other notable recipients include Rosa Parks, Pope John Paul II, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prince’s infamous lost 2010 album, ‘Welcome 2 America’, was posthumously released back in July of this year, with NME‘s Andrew Trendell describing it as “an album that speaks to today’s problems and demands to be heard. It’s better to have it now than never.”

The post US Congress to consider honouring Prince with congressional gold medal appeared first on NME.

A battle of Britain is underway, as new albums by Elton John and Duran Duran go head-to-head for the chart crown.

Based on sales and streaming data at the halfway stage of the chart cycle, Elton has the edge with The Lockdown Sessions (EMI), his collaboration-stacked 32nd studio album.

The Lockdown Sessions rockets to No. 1 on the Official Chart Update, and is flying to what would be Elton’s eighth chart leader. The superstar English singer last led the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2012 with Good Morning To The Night, a mashup of his classics remixed by Pnau, the Australian electronic act behind Elton’s latest hit single “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa.

Close behind is Duran Duran, whose 15th studio album Future Past (BMG) opens at No. 2. With Future Past, the alternative rock veterans could nab their highest-charting record in 38 years, since 1983’s Seven And The Ragged Tiger led the chart. Duran Duran’s most recent album, 2015’s Paper Gods, debuted and peaked at No. 5 in the U.K.

Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey’s Blue Banisters (Polydor) starts at No. 3 on the chart blast. It’s the U.S. alt-pop artist’s eighth record and second release of 2021.

Scottish rock favorites Biffy Clyro start at No. 4 on the midweek chart with The Myth Of The Happily Ever After (Warner Records).

As the chart race enters its second stage, it’s all to play for. According to the Official Charts Company, just 4,500 chart sales currently separate the all-new Top 4.

Closing out the Top 5 is Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres (Parlophone), which dips 1-5 but continues to lead all albums on streaming, the OCC reports.

In a week flush with new releases, a 40th anniversary reissue of The Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You (Polydor) bows at No. 6 on the midweek survey; Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure (Fiction) is at No. 7; Mimi Webb’s Seven Shades of Heartbreak (RCA) begins its journey at No. 8; Dream Theater’s A View From The Top Of The World (Inside Out) arrives at No. 9, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ B-Sides & Rarities – Pt II (BMG) starts at No. 11.

The Official Albums Chart is revealed late Friday, local time.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished nine assists, Khris Middleton added 27 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 119-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in Indianapolis. An 11-2 run that sent Milwaukee into halftime and extended into the early third quarter gave the Bucks a […]

The post Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 30 as Bucks top Pacers appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a bill banning transgender girls from participating in female sports at public schools, joining a wave of similar measures emerging from Republican-controlled statehouses across the country. Supporters of the bill, due to take effect on Jan. 18, say it is aimed at protecting fairness in school […]

The post Texas governor signs bill banning transgender girls from female sports in schools appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

Hot-shooting Luke Kennard scored 23 points off the bench to help the Los Angeles Clippers roll to an easy 116-86 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Kennard made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range, as Los Angeles notched its first win of the season in […]

The post Clippers force 30 turnovers in rout of Blazers appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points — 11 in the fourth quarter — and the visiting Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors 111-108 on Monday night. DeRozan, a former Raptor, made three important jump shots late in the fourth quarter after the Raptors had cut the lead to two. DEMAR. DEROZAN.@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/r3cNxLAJjg — Chicago […]

The post DeMar DeRozan stings former team as Bulls beat Raptors appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

Andy Murray secured his first win over a top 10 player in 14 months on Monday after the former world number one beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3 at the Vienna Open. Murray had lost to the world number 10 in Cincinnati and Metz earlier this year but got the better of the Pole at […]

The post Murray bags first win over top 10 opponent in more than a year appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 of his 36 points in the first half to fuel the host Miami Heat to a 107-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday. Butler made 15 of 21 shots from the floor and added five steals to help the Heat defeat the Magic for the sixth time in the last […]

The post Jimmy Butler paces Heat in easy win over Magic appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 41 points, Jaylen Brown added 30 and the Boston Celtics rallied to end the host Charlotte Hornets’ perfect start with a 140-129 overtime win on Monday night. After Dennis Schroder tied it at 129 on a 3-pointer with 2:41 left in overtime, Brown added a trey of his own […]

The post Jayson Tatum’s 41 points help Celtics top Hornets in OT appeared first on Inquirer Sports.

The Voice has reached the Knockout round, and the pressure is well and truly on.

That didn’t stop Team Legend’s Joshua Vacanti and Sabrina Dias from tackling two enormous pop hits, from two of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Going first, Vacanti performed Harry Styles’ “Falling,” showcasing his impeccable rang and control.

Dias went next, hitting “Mega Mentor” Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph.” And like the fire-haired Brit, Dias flexed her musical chops on an acoustic guitar and percussion, for a strong all-round performance.

“What in the world is with your tone,” Clarkson said of Vacanti. “It’s so big, it’s so round.” Clarkson admitted she’s “obsessed” with Dias. “There’s so much artistry to you.” But Vacanti was her fave.

Blake Shelton remarked that Vacanti “swung for the fence” and was on the “verge of breaking down,” in the best possible way.

Ariana Grande loved what she saw and heard, but, if she had the choice she would go with Dias.

In the end, John Legend had to make a call. “It’s so cool to see you both shine on this stage,” he remarked. But there could be only one, and that was Vacanti.

In his followup remarks, Legend paid tribute to his protégé’s “character and power.” The live round awaits.

Watch below.

For her rivals on Dancing With The Stars, JoJo Siwa is pretty scary. When DWTS took a trip into Halloween world on Monday night (Oct. 25), she was utterly terrifying.

Siwa and her dance partner Jenna Johnson performed a jazz routine to “Anything Goes” by District 78 featuring Patrice Covington, for DWTS’ Horror Night.

As usual, viewers couldn’t look away as the pair impressed with their every move. On this occasion, Siwa was decked out as an evil clown, channeling Pennywise from Stephen King’s “It.”

Horror night was extra scary. It doubled as an elimination round. The axe didn’t fall anywhere near Siwa, who, for the second week straight, scored perfect 10s from the judges.

“That was scary,” noted Len Goodman, as the dancers nabbed 40 out of a possible 40 to stay top of the leaderboard. “If ever a dance captured the flavor of a book, that was it.”

It was an especially terrifying night for Kenya and Brandon, as the contestants finished in the bottom two and were ultimately eliminated.

Watch Siwa’s performance below.

Chvrches have announced that an expanded edition of their recent album ‘Screen Violence’ will arrive later this week.

‘Screen Violence: Director’s Cut’ will be released this Friday (October 29) and contain three additional tracks that were “intended to be included” on the original record.

READ MORE: Chvrches: “Are the machines evil, or are we?”

NME gave ‘Screen Violence’ four stars upon its release in August, labelling it the band’s best album yet.

“The Glasgow-formed trio might have used the dark side of technology to build the foundations of this record but, rather than crafting handwringing lectures on the dangers of online life, they shape songs that are like mini horror vignettes – rich with storytelling and a side of social commentary.”

Speaking to NME, vocalist Lauren Mayberry said the album’s creation came at a time when “[her] association with screens had become very negative”.

“It was horrible to have to only see people on screens – I’ve not seen my mum in 3D since Christmas 2019,” she explained at the time.

“But I think, if anything, it made me more grateful because if this didn’t exist I couldn’t talk to you; we couldn’t have made this record and we couldn’t have spoken to any of our friends and family. It makes you think – are the machines evil, or are we?”

Since releasing ‘Screen Violence’, the band have performed covers of Avril Lavigne’s ‘I’m With You’ for an Apple Music Home Session, and The Lost Boys theme ‘Cry Little Sister’ for the new Netflix film Nightbooks.

The post Chvrches announce ‘Director’s Cut’ expanded edition of ‘Screen Violence’ appeared first on NME.