Los Angeles — John David “JD” Souther, a prolific songwriter and performer who helped establish the country-rock style that emerged in Southern California in the 1970s through collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, died at the age of 78.

Souther, who co-wrote some of the Eagles’ most famous songs, including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight,” died on Tuesday at his home in New Mexico, according to a post on his website.

He has also collaborated with James Taylor, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, and many others, and has achieved success as a solo artist. He was scheduled to begin a tour with Karla Bonoff on September 24 in Phoenix, which has now been canceled.

JD Souther, Who Penned ‘Heartache Tonight’ And Other Eagles Hits, Dies At 78

When Souther was elected into the Composers Hall of Fame in 2013, he was dubbed “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters.” He was also at the center of the social scene, with girlfriends including Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Nicks, who described him in a 1982 interview with High Times magazine as “very, very, very male chauvinistic and very sweet, cute, wonderful but very Texas.”

Souther was born in Detroit and raised in Amarillo, Texas. He traveled to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, where he met fellow Michigan native Glenn Frey, the Eagles’ founding member and guitarist. The two formed a long-term partnership, beginning with a band named Longbranch Pennywhistle. Frey credited Souther with introducing him to country music.

“Our first year together will always seem like yesterday to me,” Souther said in a statement following Frey’s death in 2016. “His remarkable ability to tell a great joke and that brilliant groove that lived inside him are with me even now, amid this loss and pain. “The music and love are indestructible.”

Souther was so close to the Eagles that he appeared on the back cover of their 1973 album “Desperado,” which depicted Souther and others reenacting the capture of the famed Dalton Gang. He recalled his first encounter with Frey at The Troubadour, a prominent West Hollywood music club, as “the best study in songwriting I can imagine.”

“So many great songwriters came through — Laura Nyro, Kris Kristofferson, Randy Newman, Elton John, James Taylor, Tim Hardin, Carole King, Rick Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Waylon Jennings, Tim Buckley, Gordon Lightfoot, Taj Mahal and more,” according to a statement posted on his website. “It seems impossible to conceive that much music in just a year and a half, but that was my life, and the Troubadour was our university.

“It’s also where I met Linda Ronstadt and where Don Henley and Glenn Frey met to form this little country rock band called Eagles that would go on to make musical history,” Souther later recalled.

Souther made his solo debut in 1972, before establishing The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay. In 1976, he released Black Rose, his second solo album, which featured a duet with Ronstadt, his one-time girlfriend, called “If You Have Crying Eyes.” Other duets he’d recorded with her included “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win,” and “Hearts Against the Wind,” the latter of which appeared in the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy.”

JD Souther, Who Penned ‘Heartache Tonight’ And Other Eagles Hits, Dies At 78

His biggest solo hit was “You’re Only Lonely,” which appeared on the same-titled 1979 album.

He also composed the songs “Run Like a Thief” for Bonnie Raitt, as well as “Faithless Love” and “White Rhythm and Blues” for Ronstadt. He collaborated and sung with James Taylor on the song “Her Town Too.”

Other singers with whom he collaborated were Don Henley, Christopher Cross, Dan Fogelberg, and Roy Orbison.a

He has acted in television shows such as “thirtysomething,” “Nashville,” and “Purgatory,” as well as films including “Postcards from the Edge,” “My Girl 2,” and “Deadline.”

SOURCE | AP

NEW YORK — MrBeast is accused of fostering “unsafe” employment conditions, including sexual harassment, and misrepresenting players’ chances of winning the $5 million grand prize on his new Amazon reality show, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by five anonymous participants.

The lawsuit claims that the multimillion-dollar firm behind YouTube’s most popular channel neglected to provide minimum wages, overtime compensation, uninterrupted lunch breaks, and rest time for rivals whose “work on the show was the entertainment product” provided by MrBeast.

MrBeast And Amazon Sued By Competitors From His $5M Reality Show Over Alleged ‘Unsafe’ Conditions

A representative for MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, told The Associated Press in an email that he had no comment on the latest complaint.

Donaldson’s “Beast Games” was dubbed the “biggest reality competition.” It was designed to put the North Carolina content producer in front of viewers outside of YouTube, where his record 316 million subscribers regularly watch his quirky challenges, which frequently include huge financial awards.

However, its inaugural Las Vegas shoot drew criticism before it had finished. Donaldson’s firms recruited 2,000 people in an initial tryout in July, with half of them going on to film the actual show in Toronto.

According to the lawsuit, contestants were unaware until they arrived that the Las Vegas pool had topped 1,000 entrants, severely lowering their odds of success. The lawsuit claims that the “false advertising” violates California business regulations, preventing sweepstake operators from “misrepresenting in any manner the odds of winning any prize.”

The five unnamed contestants also claimed that “limited sustenance” and “insufficient medical staffing” jeopardized their health.

The complaint claims that production workers produced a “toxic” work environment for women who were subjected to “sexual harassment” throughout the contest. According to a press release from the competitors’ lawyers, certain passages are significantly censored to comply with the “confidentiality provisions” they signed.

The lawsuit adds to the concerns, made by internet influencers in the aftermath of the shoot, that an unorganized set left some candidates injured and without frequent access to food and medication. Other volunteers told AP that they were given two light meals per day and MrBeast-branded chocolate bars.

MrBeast’s team is also facing new allegations that they “knowingly misclassified” the participants’ employment status to the Nevada Film Commission to obtain a state tax credit worth more than $2 million.

MrBeast And Amazon Sued By Competitors From His $5M Reality Show Over Alleged ‘Unsafe’ Conditions

The five competitors seek an order that MrBeast implement “workplace reforms” and pay “all wages owed,” among other remedies.

Last month, amid several public relations disasters, Donaldson ordered a comprehensive review of his YouTube empire’s internal culture and announced plans to mandate company-wide sensitivity training.

There has been no further information revealed, and no release date for the reality game show has been announced.

SOURCE | AP

NEW YORK — The long-time host of “The Late Show with David Letterman” found himself answering questions rather than asking them on Monday when a federal court in New York City conducted an audition for a possible role as a jury in a criminal prosecution.

In the serious setting of a criminal trial over a cryptocurrency fraud, Judge P. Kevin Castel questioned the famous bearded comedian, identified in court only as “Juror 16,” as he did three dozen other potential jurors to determine who would be on a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates.

On Jury Duty, David Letterman Auditioned For A Role He’s Never Gotten

The prospective jurors had already survived a general phase of questioning in which people are disqualified for hardship grounds, such as medical concerns or employment that they cannot leave. The experiment is planned to last less than two weeks.

When Letterman, who retired from his program in 2015, reached what could be the final round of jury selection, the judge threw a softball: “Where do you live?”

“Hartford,” David replied, demonstrating that he couldn’t get through a single syllable without cracking a joke.

“No, it’s a joke,” David promptly informed the judge. Hartford is in Connecticut, which would have barred him from the jury because it is outside the area from which jurors are selected.

“Nice try,” the court replied, adding, “You figured you would forego Queens,” another region outside the jurisdiction of the Southern District of New York. Queens is situated in the Eastern District of New York.

After David revealed his true residence — Westchester County — the two began a flurry of questions and answers that lasted nearly three dozen exchanges.

Along the way, the court, lawyers, and perhaps three dozen prospective jurors learned much about Letterman that the rest of the world already knows. He was born in Indianapolis, graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and has a 20-year-old son attending college in Massachusetts.

When asked what he does for a living, David replied that he is currently “working for a company called Netflix.”

“Spouse or significant other?” Castel asked.

“I have had both. Letterman said, “Currently, I only have the spouse.”

When asked how he obtained his news, Letterman referred to the past, stating, “Every morning, I used to pick up the paper from the front porch. Now, when I switch on the computer, it displays an aggregation of news sources from throughout the United States and around the world.”

When asked what he likes to watch aside from the Netflix shows he’s engaged with, Letterman replied, “I enjoy sports.”

“I’m glad football is here. I’m glad it’s baseball season. I enjoy motorsports. “I enjoy pretty much what most Americans watch on television,” he stated.

The judge enquired whether he was an Indianapolis Colts football fan.

“I’m a huge Colts fan. “0 and 2, but still a fan,” he remarked, alluding to the Colts’ losses in their first two games of the season.

Letterman’s hobbies include fishing, skiing, and spending time outdoors.

On Jury Duty, David Letterman Auditioned For A Role He’s Never Gotten

“Have you ever been called to serve as a juror?” the judge enquired.

“Been called several times. “Just couldn’t make it happen,” Letterman replied.

“You know, this may be the charm,” Castel remarked, understanding that Letterman had a 50/50 chance of joining the panel.

“It would be a pleasure,” Letterman replied.

Finally, shortly before the jury was sworn in, Letterman was dismissed after a prosecution used a “strike,” which lets lawyers on either side remove a specific number of possible jurors from the panel for any reason. It was the third of four strikes issued by prosecutors. No reason was provided.

SOURCE | AP