Sorry to disappoint, fans of Led Zeppelin, but it doesn’t look like a reunion will be happening any time soon.
According to a report from UK publication The Mirror, the group’s famed lead singer Robert Plant literally tore up a contract to reunite the band worth almost $800 million, saying the timing just wasn’t right for a reunion tour.
Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin brand fame was apparently behind the entire thing, offering the band an obscene amount of money just to reunite for a few dozen shows. The contract was reportedly for 35 shows in three cities: London, Berlin, and an unnamed location in New Jersey. Each of the three remaining original members would have earned somewhere over $200 million each just for performing, while another $100 million in merchandising profits was to be shared between the group members.
English: Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin (Photo credit:[+]
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Branson was reportedly also ready to supply the group with their own private jet for the tour. The mogul was prepared to take one of his airline’s planes and rebrand it “The Starship”. The contract also had an extension option to add 45 more shows in additional venues should the band agree.
The other two original members of the group apparently signed on immediately, and Jason Bonham, the son of late drummer John Bonham, was set to step in for his father. Plant apparently met with conert promoters to discuss the deal, and during the meeting actually ripped the contract in two, ending any chance of a regrouping.
While $800 million is certainly a lot of money, it’s not like Robert Plant (or any of the other members for that matter) really need it. Led Zeppelin are one of the most successful groups of all time, having sold around 112 million records in the United States alone (that figure is three or four times that when the entire planet is counted). In fact, they are the fourth best-selling music act in American history, right behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Garth Brooks.
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Robert Plant has also had an incredibly successful career outside of Led Zeppelin. He has released fourteen albums, selling additional millions and making his chart history that much more impressive. His collaborative album Raising Sand with bluegrass/country singer Alison Krauss may not have been his most commercially successful, but it was adored universally by critics, and won he, Alison, and producer T-Bone Burnett five Grammys back in 2009, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
While the band’s last album of original music, Coda, was released back in 1982, the band has continued to sell well throughout the years, making millions in repackagings, reissues and live album releases. The group’s last show together was in London back in December of 2007, which was a tribute to legendary music executive Ahmet Ertegün. The concert is thought to have had the most-desired tickets of any show in history, as when it was announced, 20 million requests were submitted online for passes.
Hugh McIntyre
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How To Watch The VMAs 2024
Toni Fitzgerald
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Toni Fitzgerald is a Pennsylvania-based reporter who covers media
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Sep 9, 2024,09:39pm EDT
2023 MTV Video Music Awards – Backstage
Taylor Swift is seen backstage during the 2023 MTV [+]Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
Getty Images for MTV
The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are one of the most fun and often most outrageous awards shows of the year. Who can forget when Madonna kissed then-pop princesses Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, the time Spears performed with a live snake, or the year Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech? This year, there’s every chance Swift could make history, plus some other interesting storylines going into the Wednesday night awards program. Swift leads all performers with 12 nominations, including for song of the summer and video of the year. This marks the 39th year for the awards, which began in 1984, three years after MTV was founded.
2024 VMAs Watch Guide
When Are The 2024 VMAs?
The 2024 VMAs air Wednesday, September 11. MTV plans to donate money to 9/11 funds since it is the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attack.
What Time Do The VMAs Start?
The VMAs will begin at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday night and air live from UBS Arena in New York City.
Who Is Hosting The 2024 VMAs?
Megan Thee Stallion, who released her third album, Megan, earlier this summer, will host the 2024 VMAs.
Megan Thee Stallion performs during the Hot Girl Summer Tour at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Video Music Awards host Megan Thee Stallion [+]performs onstage during the Hot Girl Summer Tour at Crypto.com Arena.
Getty Images for Live Nation
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How To Watch The VMAs Live
You can watch the VMAs live on MTV on Wednesday night. Additionally, Paramount, which owns MTV, will simulcast the awards program on BET, BET Her, CMT, CC, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land and VH1.
For those who want to watch the show in Spanish, Univision will carry a simulcast as part of a Paramount-TelevisaUnivision partnership.
What Records Could Be Set At VMAs 2024?
During the show, Taylor Swift will vie to become the all-time winningest artist ever at the VMAs. She currently has 23 wins, but taking the lead is a tall order. Beyoncé holds the current record with 25 victories, and she may put the record further out of Swift’s reach.
The former Destiny’s Child singer is up for two special awards at this year’s show that fans will vote on—most iconic performance, for when she revealed her pregnancy, and best trending video for “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
How To Watch The VMAs Without Cable
A lot of people lack cable TV subscriptions in this cord-cutting era. You can still watch the show even if you don’t subscribe to traditional cable. For instance, several of the most popular packages on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV include MTV or one of the other networks simulcasting the awards show.
Who Is Nominated For The 2024 VMAs?
Swift leads all nominees with 12 nods, while Post Malone garnered 11. Other top nominees include host Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo.
Who Is Performing At The 2024 VMAs?
Megan Thee Stallion will perform in addition to hosting. Eminem will return to open the VMAs, and Lenny Kravitz, Halsey Shawn Mendes, LL Cool J, Benson Boone and more will also perform. Katy Perry, who’s receiving the Video Vanguard Award, will do a medley.
Other Ways To Watch The VMA Artists For Free
MTV will host a live pre-show on its YouTube channel. You can see nominees and performers, though the YouTube channel won’t carry the actual show.
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Toni Fitzgerald
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Tom Brady Debuts In The NFL Broadcast Booth On Fox Sports
Mark Joyella
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Mark Joyella is a former broadcast journalist who covers media.
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Sep 8, 2024,06:48pm EDT
San Francisco 49ers New Orleans Saints During NFL Preseason Game
NFL great and Fox broadcaster Tom Brady chats with [+]former San Francisco 49er Frank Gore before Niners play New Orleans Saints during NFL preseason game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
“He’s Tom Brady, and I’m Kevin Burkhardt, and you’re a broadcaster, how about that?” So began 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady’s debut on Fox Sports Sunday, a $375 million return to football Fox had promoted—heavily—as Brady going “back to work.”
“It’s been quite a journey,” Brady, microphone in hand and huge smile on his face, said to Burkhardt, “but I love being your partner.” The two then dived into commentary about the matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns as viewers took to social media to comment on the former quarterback’s first day in the new job.
“Tom Brady hasn’t looked this uncomfortable since facing the Giants in the Super Bowl,” joked The Athletic’s Jake Ciely in a post on X, where Brady’s debut generated an unsurprising flurry of jokes and criticism as Brady tried to thread the needle of sharing what he knows about the game while also making it clear and understandable to viewers who’ve never played in the NFL.
In a moment that captured the awkwardness for Brady in shifting from effortless brilliance on the field to still-learning-the-ropes of live television, Brady attempted a fist bump with Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira, who at first seemed unaware—or uninterested—in Brady’s presence in the broadcast booth:
It’s never easy to make your first appearance in a new job, especially when you’re someone as mega-famous as Brady, and the new gig involves not just providing insight and analysis on a live game, but doing so while also attempting to appear natural and completely comfortable on camera.
But Brady had barely gotten out of the gate when critics started piling on, with one viewer saying the NFL great was “absolutely atrocious in the booth,” while another said “maybe someone should have listened to Tom Brady actually say words before dropping $300 million on him.”
New Orleans Saints v San Francisco 49ers
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 18: Fox on-air host and [+]former NFL quarterback Tom Brady interacts with running back Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers prior to an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on August 18, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
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Some critics seemed to think Brady doesn’t have a classic broadcaster’s voice, while others knocked him for his analysis. “Tom Brady can’t seem… to form any… sentences that have any sort of normal… cadence to them,” posted one viewer on X.
Another armchair quarterback summed up Brady’s debut—before halftime—like this: “I don’t want to overreact to week 1, but Tom Brady is the worst announcer in the NFL.”
Others were willing to give Brady a chance, including NFL Network reporter Jane Slater, who said “I like Tom Brady in the booth. It’s smart. He’s not pressing and screaming w faux excitement. Lets Kevin talk, then steps in. Easy, intelligent call. Just my two cents.”
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