Aubrey Plaza to Phish: Delaware entertainment highlights that told the story of 2023
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While many of us are struggling just to jog, time is zooming by on speed skates this year.
If you need to catch up on the big stories in Delaware entertainment from this year, or if you want a refresher, we've got you covered.
Here's a story that blends all of these entertainment highlights into one stout smoothie of cultural information.
Aubrey Plaza nominated for Emmy Award
You might have thought Wilmington native Aubrey Plaza's 2023 highlight would be her hilarious night hosting "Saturday Night Live" back in January.
But then in July, an even bigger moment in Plaza's acting career came: an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
It should make for a fun award-watching season. The Emmy Awards will air Monday, Jan. 15, rescheduled from September due to the Hollywood strikes.
And if you're in New York City, check out her off-Broadway debut in "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" co-starring Christopher Abbott, which has been extended through Saturday, Jan. 13.
Phish festival swims to The Woodlands
It was bizarre when the rumor mill began swirling last summer about a new Phish festival coming to Firefly's stomping grounds in The Woodlands of Dover.
It turns out that crazy claim was for real after the legendary jam band confirmed they're coming to party in The Woodlands on Aug. 15-18, 2024. The announcement hooked Phish Phans in Delaware and beyond. Phish supporters have a reputation for traveling hours to see concerts. One of the band's fans in Puerto Rico, for example, said on Facebook that they're considering traveling for the festival.
Since Firefly organizers promised to return in 2024 after taking last summer off to recalibrate, following one of its lowest attended festivals in 2022 — this new Phish festival (which isn't part of Firefly) is helping to bring more excitement back to The Woodlands.
Jimmie Allen hit with assault allegations
Delaware country superstar Jimmie Allen had a squeaky-clean image coming into this year.
But the multiplatinum-singer's image tarnished overnight in May after his former manager filed a lawsuit against him that he sexually assaulted her. The singer denied the allegation and said he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman.
In June, a second female accuser filed a lawsuit against Allen. The singer countersued both women in July. No charges have been filed against him.
The fallout from the assault allegations resulted in Allen getting shunned from the country music industry, including his record label dropping him.
The Queen welcomes new general manager
After spending much of 2023 without a leader after the departure of its previous general manager, The Queen in Wilmington announced its new boss.
Fresh from working as a director at the New Orleans House of Blues, Devin Ball began at The Queen in late August.
His immediate goals are to beef up the concert hall's schedule. And not only the bigger name national acts on its downstairs main stage, but also local acts on its upstairs 200-person Crown Room and corner Knights Bar.
He wants live music in the smaller rooms at least four nights a week and in January, expect to find food re-introduced to the downstairs room via bar bites offered in heated displays.
Local acts already welcomed back recently include Universal Funk Order, Larry Scotton Jr., Sug Daniels, Nadjah Nicol, The Collingwood, Darnell Miller, JD Webb, Richard Raw, Ty Mathis, Lower Case Blues, Alicia Maxwell Project, Sharon Sable & E. Shawn Qaissaunee and Zach Humenik & Sam Nobles.
AllHipHop.com celebrates 25th anniversary
Not only did this year mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, it's also a milestone for two Delaware natives who founded the esteemed website AllHipHop.com.
Glasgow High grads "Grouchy” Greg Watkins and Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur are responsible for creating one of the longest-running platforms dedicated to covering hip-hop culture on the internet.
AllHipHop draws 4 million visitors monthly, Watkins, of Middletown, said.
Last spring, Watkins said they're working on a docuseries with Quincy Jones III as director, along with Neo Studios and TwentyOne14 Media.
Watkins said the project aims to tell the story about the rise of AllHipHop's legacy over the last 25 years.
David Bromberg ends touring
Back in June, Wilmington resident David Bromberg found himself on stage at the Beacon Theater with plenty of emotions flowing through him.
It was at his farewell show, wrapping up his time as a touring musician. And it came 60 years after first starting his life on stage.
His final touring show featured special guests Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, singer/songwriter John Hiatt and a crowd filled with some of his biggest, most devout fans.
After his timeless cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," the audience of about 2,600 showered the finger-picker with extended applause.
"That nearly brought me to tears," Bromberg says. "They stood and clapped and clapped and clapped. There was a lot of love in the room."
Delaware native stars on Netflix's 'The Ultimatum'
A little slice of Greenville landed on the Netflix reality show "The Ultimatum: Queer Love."
The blonde bombshell, who grew up in Talleyville, went to Ursuline Academy and whose father owns a business in ritzy Greenville, was a breakout star of the show.
The show, which aired its final episode in June, is a whopper. Five couples are contestants and each has one person who wants to get married and another who is not so sure. They then end up having a three-week "trial marriage" with another contestant to see if it changes their feelings about their partner.
Goldberg is the daughter of Michael and Alison Goldberg: Michael owns and operates Indulgence Jewelers at Greenville Crossing on Kennett Pike and Alison owns and operates wedding planning business Events by AFG.
"It's a miracle I ended up on a TV show about weddings," Lexi Goldberg joked during an interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Wilmington library attracts The Shade Room
It's not every day that a library draws the attention of one of The Shade Room, one of the most popular outlets for trending celebrity news in urban entertainment. But that's the case for Wilmington Public Library.
The Wilmington Public Library gained national attention this year for hosting a new event specifically created for the library called the "Kims of Comedy" in October.
The event featured comedians and actresses Kim Fields, Kim Wayans, Kim Coles and Kym Whitley.
People from around the country like Chicago, Arizona and Georgia traveled to Wilmington to see this free event in Wilmington.
Coles shouted-out Wilmington Public Library on social media, which led to The Shade Room (boasting 28.9 million followers on Instagram alone) to repost the message. That created more awareness for the library.
Newark's burgeoning underground music scene
Unless you're a hardcore music fan in Newark (or know someone who is), you probably haven't heard of the town's newest music venues.
And that's by design.
A trio of underground music venues operate in the shadows, offering sets by national and local acts in house basements across campus.
Newark's original live music stages have largely disappeared, so DIY thinking has taken over as bands and their fans have created their own makeshift stages, creating a busy schedule of secret shows that most don't know are happening at all.
Each spot caters a bit to their own sound and has their own rules, but they are all united in attempting to operate under the radar, out of view from police and town officials.
Delaware Online/The News Journal agreed not to identify the venues or bands for the article earlier this year.
Vanilla Ice & Ice Cube take over couple's bathroom
Who knew one of The News Journal's most-read entertainment stories of the year would be about a bathroom?
One Magnolia couple are hip-hop fans with a novelty bathroom in their house that marries iconic '90s rappers Vanilla Ice with Ice Cube.
Newlyweds Chad and Marianne Hastings call their restroom "The Ice House." They also have a silly catchphrase for the room: "The cool place to handle your business."
Every detail of the Ice House pays tribute to the rappers, from the vanilla-painted walls to Ice Breakers gum.
Once you step into The Ice House, you'll hear a recording of Ice Cube's 1992 hit song "Today Was a Good Day" or Vanilla Ice's classic tune "Ice Ice Baby."
The bathroom is full of memorabilia dedicated to both rappers. This includes photos of the artists, plus Vanilla Ice dolls in the original packaging lined up next to the shower.
Jefe retires from his residencies
For nearly 30 years, there was always a bar stage in Delaware where you could find a smiling Jeff "Jefe" Ebbert performing a set of cover songs.
Whether it was performing solo or with his former group Burnt Sienna or current act Blue Label Band, Jefe was a staple for generations of music fans in the state from his early years at the University of Delaware to his regular shows in Dewey Beach.
After ending his 22-year summer run at northbeach last year, Jefe closed the book on his other residency in May at the Deer Park Tavern after 17 years.
While he still performs weddings with Blue Label Band, along with a handful of public shows each year, he decided he wanted to spend more time with his wife Gwen and 11-year-old son Nathan.
'Ghost Hunters' star says he was attacked by ghosts
A Delaware ghost hunter had the scare of his life, a nightmare that took him six weeks to wake up from.
Middletown resident Daryl Marston, star of the A&E reality show "Ghost Hunters," reveals how a string of supernatural events almost broke him in his new book, "The Horrors of the House of Wills: A True Story of a Paranormal Investigator's Most Terrifying Case."
This bizarre story begins after Marston gets a tip about a haunted funeral home from his peers and travels to Cleveland, Ohio, to explore The House of Wills in the summer of 2014.
The building is owned by Satanist Eric Freeman, and it formerly belonged to the largest Black funeral home in Ohio, Marston said. The ghosts at House of Wills literally pushed Marston around, he said. But there's much more to this bizarre story.
More entertainment news
Phish jam hooked for new Dover festival: Here are the details
Heard about these Delaware concerts? That's the point. They're secret
A new boss in town: The Queen in Wilmington looks to reclaim its crown
Jimmie Allen lawsuit timeline: Here's a look at events that've happened since singer was hit with assault claims
Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Phish, Aubrey Plaza & more Delaware highlights to recap a crazy 2023
