A group of now-legendary songwriters came together Tuesday at the historic Ryman Auditorium to raise nearly half a million dollars for Second Harvest Food Bank.
Ella Langley headlined the night, which was organized by Nashville native ERNEST and started with a guitar pull.
ERNEST, HARDY, Lee Thomas Miller and Dean Dillon offered George Strait’s “The Chair,” Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” Morgan Wallen’s “Wasted On You” and HARDY’s “McArthur,” among others.
Ella’s intimate set drew from her second album, Dandelion, including a duet version of “Loving Life Again” with its co-writer, ERNEST.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the way this event has grown and evolved, even just over the last few years,” he says. “It’s one of my favorite nights of every year that really captures the heart of our songwriting community. Thank you to Ella, HARDY, Lee, Dean, and everyone who made this night possible – we’ll see you next year.”
Including this year’s $445,000, ERNEST has raised more than $1.18 million since taking over Music City’s annual Stars for Second Harvest show.
Evanescence is out with their new album, Sanctuary, but this year also marks the 20th anniversary of their album The Open Door. Frontwoman Amy Lee says things have definitely improved when it comes to gender equality in music since 2006.
“When we were starting out, most of the time I was the only woman I’d see all day at festivals, besides anyone I had with me in my crew,” Lee tells the U.K. publication MusicWeek. “On the one hand, that made things intimidating. But on the other hand, [it was] powerful because we were different and I had something to say.”
“Over the last 20 years, hell yeah, I’ve watched things change,” Lee continues. “When I go to festivals now, there are always other women on stage, so we have seen progress, especially in heavy music.”
But Lee would rather dispense with the gender divisions altogether.
“I don’t want to be the best female-fronted rock band; I want to be the best rock band, period,” she notes.
She adds, “Whether you’re male or female, whatever colour you are, or wherever you come from, none of that should matter. What should matter is that you’re great at what you do. And all the women that I lift up, all the women we’re taking on tour – they all rock. That’s why they’re coming on tour with us.”
Among the artists joining Evanescence for their world tour, starting June 11, are Spiritbox, Nova Twins, Poppy and K.Flay. Amy’s happy that her collaborations with some of those artists, plus Halsey and Bring Me the Horizon, have led to younger audiences discovering Evanescence.
Says Lee, “When we earn new fans at this stage, hearing new music we make and getting into us that way, that really feels like the goal.”
A rare Pink Floyd track has gotten its first-ever digital release.
The full version of “Pigs on the Wing,” which prior to this was only available on the eight-track release of 1977’s Animals, is now available via digital outlets and on YouTube.
The original song was cut into two parts for Animals, with the full version linking them by a guitar solo performed by Snowy White.
The song is featured on the just-released Pink Floyd compilation album 8-Tracks, which, as the name suggests, features eight curated classic tracks from the 1971-1979 era of Pink Floyd.
Other songs on the album include hits “Money,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2,” “Time” and “Comfortably Numb,” along with early Pink Floyd tracks “One of These Days” and “Wot’s… Uh the Deal.”
In addition to the digital release, 8-Tracks was released on vinyl and CD.
Poster for Masego’s Fix Your Face Tour (Live Nation)
Masego has announced more than 40 dates for his upcoming Fix Your Face Tour.
The tour is set to kick off on Aug. 4 in Dallas and wrap up on Sept. 16 in LA, with a European leg scheduled to follow.
During the tour, Masego will perform music from his forthcoming project while offering fans a more personal look at the man behind the music.
An artist presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, followed by additional presales throughout the week. General ticket sales start Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Fans can sign up for early access through Masego’s website.
“This is not a drill!!! I am leaving the comfort of my home and coming city to city. You gon’ pull up on me or what?” he wrote on Instagram. “See you soon.”
Paul McCartney’s ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ (MPL/Capitol Records)
Paul McCartney is #1 in the U.K. yet again.
The legendary Beatle’s latest solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, has debuted on top of the U.K. Official Chart.
“Guess what? Our album is Number 1! Can’t get much higher. And we are well chuffed,” said McCartney. “My team and the whole gang of people who worked on this thing, they have done a fantastic job, so thank you to all of them. And thank you to all of YOU who bought it! And thank you to me!”
This is McCartney’s 24th career #1 in the U.K. Over the course of his career he’s had 15 chart-toppers as a member of The Beatles, six solo number ones, two number ones with Wings, and one #1 credited to him and wife Linda McCartney.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane also tops the Official Vinyl Albums chart.
The album, produced by Andrew Watt, features songs about McCartney’s childhood in Liverpool, early adventures with future Beatles bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon, and more. It also includes his first-ever duet with Ringo Starr, “Home to Us.”
Joseph Sikora (L) and Michael Rainey Jr. attend the Ghost Season 2 Premiere on November 17, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for STARZ)
There’s another Power series in the works, with Joseph Sikora and Michael Rainey Jr. set to lead the cast. The two actors will reprise their roles as Tommy Egan and Tariq St. Patrick in Power: Legacy.
Power: Legacy picks up after the events of the Power Book IV:Force season finale, when Tariq arrives in Chicago to help save Tommy and asks him to return to New York to assist with his own business ventures. Although Tommy is initially reluctant to leave behind the empire he built in the Windy City, he ultimately decides to do so. According to the official logline, “Power: Legacy follows Tommy’s return to New York, where he teams up with Tariq as the two aim to take the city by storm.”
“Power never dies, and this chapter is our biggest yet,” said 50 Cent, who serves as an executive producer. “Fans have been waiting to see Tariq and Tommy together, and now they’re taking over New York City. Bringing Joseph and Michael back together is special; they’ve turned these characters into true icons of the Power universe.”
Michael and Joseph were first introduced in the original Power before going on to headline their respective spinoffs, Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force.
Other spinoffs in the franchise include Power Book III: Raising Kanan, which premieres its fifth and final season on June 12. Power: Origins, another upcoming series, will continue the story of the franchise’s early years and is currently filming in New York City.
Christine Banfield is seen in an undated photo. (Photo obtained by ABC News.)
(NEW YORK) — A Virginia man found guilty of killing his wife and a stranger lured to their home in an elaborate plot to get rid of his spouse so he could be with his au pair was sentenced to life in prisonon Friday.
Brendan Banfield was convicted in the 2023 murders of his wife and a man prosecutors said he “catfished” on a fetish website. Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield pretended to be his wife to lure the man to their Fairfax County home for what was believed to be a consensual fake rape scenario in order to frame that stranger for his wife’s murder.
A jury found him guilty of two counts of aggravated murder in February.
“It is a harsh sentence, but in this case it is a justified one,” Judge Penney Azcarate said, noting she had “no hesitation” in handing down the life sentence without the possibility of parole.
“The disregard of the life of your wife, someone you supposedly loved, is almost unfathomable,” she said.
The judge denied a defense motion to overturn his murder convictions on Thursday, ahead of his sentencing.
The former IRS agent was charged with two counts of aggravated murder in 2024 following a monthslong investigation into the deaths of his wife, 37-year-old nurse Christine Banfield, and the stranger, 39-year-old Joseph Ryan.
Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield plotted the murders with the family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair.
Police responded to a 911 call from the home in Reston on Feb. 24, 2023, and found Ryan dead in an upstairs bedroom with gunshot wounds to his head and chest. Christine Banfield had been stabbed seven times in the neck, prosecutors said.
At the time, Magalhães and Banfield told police they came home to find Ryan stabbing Christine Banfield to death. Banfield and Magalhães each shot Ryan, they said in their 911 call and to responding officers at the scene.
Magalhães was arrested first and initially charged with second-degree murder for the death of Ryan. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the maximum, in February. Prosecutors said she admitted to shooting Ryan at Brendan Banfield’s direction.
Brendan Banfield was arrested several months after Magalhães and charged with two counts of aggravated murder for the deaths of his wife and Ryan.
Prosecutors said Brendan Banfield stabbed his wife with a kitchen knife that Ryan had been instructed to bring, and, before calling 911, altered the crime scene to make it look as though Ryan stabbed her — including by transferring some of his wife’s blood onto Ryan’s hands.
Magalhães testified against Brendan Banfield during his trial, telling the court that he expressed his desire to “get rid of” his wife in October 2022. She said he told her he wanted to marry her and have children with her, and that he didn’t want to divorce his wife because “she would have more money than he would” and because he wanted custody of the couple’s daughter.
She prayed for forgiveness from the victims’ families during her sentencing hearing.
“There is nothing I could possibly do to make it up to you, for your loss. There are so many regrets, this is my biggest. It’s a tragedy I have been carrying with me, and I know I can never take back the devastation of what I have done,” she said.
Following Magalhães’ sentencing, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said the au pair’s testimony was “invaluable in helping the jury understand the convoluted double-murder plot orchestrated by Brendan Banfield.”
During his three-week-long trial, Brendan Banfield testified in his own defense. He admitted to the affair though maintained his innocence.
He said he came home on Feb. 24, 2023, after the au pair called to alert him about a stranger in the home. He said he went up to his bedroom with his gun drawn and found his wife naked with Ryan and that she called out, “Brendan, he has a knife!”
“I was extremely terrified,” Brendan Banfield told the jury. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more panicked in my life.”
He said he fired his government-issued firearm, striking Ryan in the head, after he said the man appeared to stab his wife.
The couple’s then-4-year-old daughter was in the basement of the house at the time of the killings. Brendan Banfield was additionally found guilty of child endangerment, as well as using a firearm while committing or attempting to commit murder.
ABC News’ Sophie Sonnenfeld contributed to this report.
The CIA symbol is shown on the floor of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A former CIA officer accused of stealing money from the government by lying about his academic credentials and military experience who authorities said had roughly $40 million worth of gold bars stashed in his house was ordered detained pending trial Friday by a federal judge in Virginia.
David Rush was described by a Justice Department prosecutor as a “master manipulator” who “cannot be trusted” — detailing a damning track record of lies that the government says only grows by the day as the FBI and intelligence community continue their investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Deep Purple is offering up another preview of their upcoming album, SPLAT!
The band has dropped the new single “Diablo,” which features country star Keith Urban on guitar.
“It is all about taking chances,” frontman Ian Gillan says of the song. “Just for once in your life, do something exciting, step out of the mold, take that curious bend in the road instead of sticking to the highway and do something that will, for the rest of your life, either guide or warn you.”
“Diablo” is now available via digital outlets. A live performance video is set to debut Sunday on YouTube, with the band’s Roger Glover planning to chat with fans during the premiere.
SPLAT!, dropping July 3, explores the idea of the end of humanity as a transformation rather than a destruction, with the album’s description noting it sees the end “not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.”
Deep Purple kicks off a European tour on June 11 in Finland. They launch a North American tour Aug. 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A complete list of dates can be found at DeepPurple.com.
U.S. Coast Guard dive team searches for clues in the disappearance of Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas, June 4, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — The Coast Guard has taken custody of the Hookers’ dinghy amid the new search for Lynette Hooker, an American woman who went overboard in the Bahamas and vanished two months ago.
The Coast Guard is using divers, underwater drones and a K9 as it explores new areas not previously searched.
This week’s search comes after forensic evidence found on electronic devices belonging to Lynette Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, led investigators to new areas of interest, U.S. officials said. One U.S. official told ABC News that what Brian Hooker told investigators does not match the GPS data recovered from his devices.
Lynette Hooker went missing on the evening of April 4. Brian Hooker told authorities that after the couple departed Hope Town on their dinghy to head to their yacht, bad weather caused her to go overboard.
Brian Hooker was arrested on April 8 and questioned by police. He was released on April 13 without charges.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter and Brian Hooker’s stepdaughter, Karli Aylesworth, told ABC News she doubts Brian Hooker’s story and said she’s not spoken with him since the day after her mother went missing.
Aylesworth said this week she’s hopeful the new search points investigators in the right direction.
“She has to be somewhere, so all the help that we could get, it’s greatly appreciated,” she said.
Aylesworth said if she could speak to her mother now, she’d tell her, “I just hope you’re still out there. I have doubts with how long it’s been, but I love you and I hope I can see you again.”
