Spotify users have officially listened to Billie Joe Armstrong whine 1 billion times.
Green Day‘s hit “Basket Case” has joined Spotify’s Billions Club, a playlist of all the songs with at least 1 billion streams on the platform. It’s the first Green Day song to hit the milestone.
In a Facebook post responding to the news, Green Day writes, “What’s that, you say!? Basket Case is in Spotify’s BILLIONS CLUB?!” alongside a trio of exploding head emojis.
“Basket Case” originally appeared on Green Day’s breakout 1994 album, Dookie, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier in February.
Green Day put out a new album, Saviors, in January. They’ll launch a U.S. tour in support of the record in July, during which they’ll also be playing Dookie and 2004’s American Idiot in honor of their respective 30th and 20th anniversaries.
One of the moving moments of Madonna‘s Celebration Tour comes when, while singing “Live to Tell,” she displays various photos of creatives who died of AIDS, including artist Keith Haring, photographer Herb Ritts and Queen‘s Freddie Mercury. According to Page Six, one star’s photo was mistakenly included during her show in Sacramento, California, and has now been removed.
A photo of the late Luther Vandross was part of the montage during the show on February 24, reports Page Six. A rep for his estate told Page Six, “Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier. While we appreciate Madonna’s recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or the HIV Virus.”
“We’re not sure where she or her production team received false medical information claiming otherwise. We’re currently in contact with her management to remove Luther Vandross from the tribute,” the statement continued.
Page Six reports that reps for Madonna now say the photo’s been removed.
Eugene Levy, Emmy-winning star and co-creator of Schitt’s Creek, who is also known to a generation of moviegoers as Noah’s dad in the American Pie movies, will be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Steve Nissen, the president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, announced that Levy, who came to fame as part of the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV, will be honored with the 2,773rd star on Friday, March 8.
Catherine O’Hara, Levy’s Emmy-winning former Schitt’s Creek spouse, will speak at the dedication.
Also honoring Levy will be his daughter and another former Creek co-star, Sarah Levy.
Eugene’s star, dedicated to his work in television, will be located at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard, per the announcement.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with another sexual assault lawsuit, filed by a music producer in New York federal court Monday.
The 73-page claim, brought forth by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, accuses Combs of repeated instances of sexual harassment, including the “unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching” of his private body parts. It also says Jones was made to work in a bathroom while Combs walked around naked and took a shower.
The suit also accuses Combs of the “acquisition, use, and distribution of ecstasy, cocaine” and other drugs, mentions his alleged activity with sex workers and alleges that Combs “used his power, and influence to threaten and intimidate Mr. Jones.”
Jones is said to have produced on Combs’ The Love Album but was not compensated for his work on the project, the suit says.
A statement from Combs’ attorney ShawnHolley, obtained by ABC News, says that “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday.”
“His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines,” the statement continues. “We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with Mr. Jones’ attorney, TyroneBlackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls.”
Monday’s lawsuit is the latest of several filed against Combs in recent months. The first, a bombshell suit from R&B singer Cassie, who dated Combs, was settled last year.
Combs has denied the allegations, which he called “sickening” in a December statement.
“Let me be absolutely clear; I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he said.
The first trailer for Kevin Costner‘s western epic, Horizon: An American Saga, has arrived.
The two-part cinematic event chronicles the “Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West,” according to a description about the upcoming films.
In the trailer, audiences get a glimpse of the Old West and how it was won and lost, as well as the star-studded cast who helps tell the story.
In addition to Costner, other actors who star in the upcoming film and appear in the tease include Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson and Jamie Campbell Bower. The cast also includes Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee and Michael Anganaro.
Costner co-wrote the script for the epic with Jon Baird.
According to a description about Horizon, the films span “the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865.”
“Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America,” the film description continues.
Ahead of the trailer release, Costner took to Instagram to say that the trailer is “something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”
“I made it for you,” he added.
Chapter one of Horizon: An American Saga will be released on June 28. Chapter two will hit theaters on Aug. 16.
Signage is displayed outside a Wendys Co. restaurant in El Sobrante, Calif., May 6, 2020. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Wendy’s announced it will launch new menu prices that will fluctuate depending on the time of day.
The country’s second-largest burger chain, which has 6,000 restaurant locations, said the change will begin next year.
Customers could pay $1 more for a sandwich like the Baconator during the lunch rush, for example.
“Historically, companies just set one price that was constant across time. Pricing algorithms allow companies to change prices throughout the day or perhaps even throughout an hour,” Zach Brown, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, told ABC News’ Good Morning America.
Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said the company will spend $20 million on high-tech digital menu boards that can update prices in real time, similar to surge pricing strategies adopted by rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, airlines and hotels.
“During the busy times, they can obviously increase profits then,” Brown said. “And also, some consumers will want to shift to the less busy times when demand is lower and prices are lower.”
Wendy’s is already receiving a frosty reaction to the price change announcement with one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “Surge pricing is just Price Gouging by any other name.”
Wendy’s told ABC News in a statement that its dynamic menu pricing can “be competitive and flexible with pricing, motivate customers to visit and provide them with the food they love at a great value. We will test a number of features that we think will provide an enhanced customer and crew experience.”
Some experts say customers could see more menu pricing changes ahead at other fast food chains, including McDonald’s and Burger King, especially if Wendy’s sees a boost in its bottom line after implementing dynamic pricing.
Netflix has picked up the sitcom Tires, created and co-written by standup comedian and recent Saturday Night Live guest host Shane Gillis. The six-episode series follows Will (Steven Gerben), “a nervous and unqualified heir to an auto repair chain who attempts to turn his father’s business around despite constant torture from his cousin and now employee, Shane (Gillis).” It premieres on May 23. Netflix will also air Gillis’ second standup special, following last fall’s Beautiful Dogs …
Bill Murray and Naomi Watts, who last appeared together in 2014’s St. Vincent, will reteam for an adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s New York Times bestselling novel, The Friend. The plot, per Deadline, follows “a New York writer in the aftermath of her lifelong friend and mentor’s unexpected death.” Tiny Beautiful Things‘ Sarah Pidgeon, Crazy Rich Asians‘ Constance Wu, The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Ann Dowd and The Watcher‘s Noma Dumezweni also star …
Beef creator and executive producer Lee Sung Jin is reportedly courting May December‘s Charles Melton, Priscilla‘s Cailee Spaeny, and Love and Other Drugs costars Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway for the Emmy-winning show’s second season, according to Deadline. The plot will reportedly center on two feuding couples, played by the quartet. No deals are in place, however, according to the outlet …
Variety reports Sara Ramirez, who plays a nonbinary stand-up comic on the Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That …, won’t be back for season 3. In a cryptic January Instagram post, Ramirez, who uses they/them pronouns, seemed to hint that they were fired from the show after making comments in support of Palestine, according to the outlet. However, Variety reports Ramirez’s story arc on the show reached its natural conclusion with Che’s breakup with Cynthia Nixon‘s Miranda Hobbes …
(NEW YORK) — A storm system sweeping across the United States is forecast to bring severe weather to the Midwest on Tuesday before reaching the Northeast on Wednesday.
Before heading east, the cross-country storm dumped several feet of snow on the Cascade Range and northern Rocky Mountains in the Northwest on Monday. The snowfall was so heavy in Washington state that Interstate 90 had to be shut down in both directions.
As of Tuesday morning, a slew of snow and wind alerts associated with this storm were in effect across the country from coast to coast.
The storm is expected to move into the Midwest, the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley regions on Tuesday evening with severe thunderstorms that could produce huge hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. The major cities that could be affected include Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus and Cleveland.
The storm is forecast to make its way to the Northeast and the Interstate 95 travel corridor on Wednesday, unleashing heavy rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms from Washington, D.C. to Boston.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will host top congressional leaders at the White House Tuesday as he and fellow Democrats remain at odds with House Republicans over aid to Ukraine and government funding with a partial shutdown deadline just days away.
The “Big 4” leaders sitting down with the president are House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
The last time the group met was in mid-January to discuss how to break a stalemate over border policy and foreign aid.
Since then, Speaker Johnson, who rejected both a bipartisan border deal and stand-alone foreign aid bill out of the Senate, has been requesting a one-on-one session with President Biden but has so far been denied. The White House had criticized Johnson for his shifting views on how to move forward with the issues. Biden last week signaled he’d be willing to meet with Johnson if he had “anything to say.”
During Tuesday’s meeting with all four congressional leaders, Biden will try to “push forward” his supplemental funding request to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“What the president wants to see is we want to make sure that the national security interests of the American people get put first, right?” Jean-Pierre said when asked what Biden would consider a successful meeting. “That it is not used as a political football, right? We want to make sure that gets done.”
She continued, “And we also want to see that the government does not get shut down. It is a basic priority or duty of Congress to keep the government open.”
Jean-Pierre also contended Biden, in past meetings, “moved the ball” on issues like the debt ceiling and border legislation.
“We have seen some movement,” she said. “We have seen the president’s leadership on this.”
The two-year mark of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine passed this weekend. Since Republicans took control of the House, no new aid has been approved by Congress to help Ukraine stave off Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Johnson dismissed the stand-alone foreign aid bill for not including border changes, and it was not brought to the House floor before lawmakers left earlier this month for a two-week recess. On the issue of Ukraine aid itself, Johnson previously said he wants answers from the administration on what exactly the endgame is for Ukraine and how the U.S. funds would be used to reach that goal.
Biden, in remarks last Friday, urged House Republicans to take up the Senate-passed foreign aid bill that would provide $60 billion to Ukraine as well as funding for Israel and Taiwan. Not supporting Ukraine, Biden warned, “will never be forgotten in history.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, in an interview on ABC’s This Week, put the onus on Johnson, saying “one person can bend the course of history” if he allows a vote on Ukraine aid. Sullivan said the administration believed it would ultimately receive bipartisan support.
“Right now, it comes down to his willingness to actually step up to the plate and discharge his responsibility at this critical moment,” Sullivan said. “And history is watching.”
Meanwhile, if lawmakers can’t reach a spending agreement by Friday night, a partial shutdown will ensue affecting several agencies. If by March 8 there is still no legislation passed, a total government shutdown will occur.
Schumer, in a letter to colleagues ahead of lawmakers’ return to Washington on Monday, pinned blame on a possible shutdown and lack of foreign aid on the “extreme wing” of the Republican party.
“The fact is when Democrats and Republicans embrace compromise and cooperation, the Congress can invest in the American people, avoid an extreme Republican government shutdown, and fulfill our shared responsibility to protect our national security both at home and abroad,” Schumer wrote.
Johnson also issued a statement swiping at Schumer, accusing Democrats of playing “petty politics.” Republicans, he said, would be focused on reining in spending.
“At a time of divided government, Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon,” the speaker wrote on X.
(WASHINGTON) — Michigan’s presidential primary on Tuesday offers both the most visible test yet of electoral anger with President Joe Biden for his response to the Israel-Hamas war — and another test of voter interest in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s waning GOP campaign.
Critics of the president who say he’s been too lenient on Israel in its bombardment of Gaza as it fights against Hamas are urging voters to cast “uncommitted” primary ballots to express their displeasure and push for the White House to be less supportive of Israel’s tactics.
Biden’s campaign has met with community leaders in Michigan, which has a notable Arab population, and the president has suggested that he wants Israel to change course while still backing them against Hamas militants in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack. But protests have continued as the death toll in Gaza rises.
Meanwhile, Haley is seeking a strong showing in the state as she tries to chip away at former President Donald Trump’s gargantuan primary lead — an advantage that was underscored by his 20-point win in her home state over the weekend.
Here are three things to watch in Michigan on Tuesday night:
How big will the ‘uncommitted’ vote be?
Biden has sought to walk a fine line over the war in Gaza, criticizing Israel’s operations there as being “over the top” while declining to condition further aid to Israel on steps like a permanent cease-fire or negotiations with the Palestinians.
That strategy has earned him detractors on both sides — with Republicans saying he should be less critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and progressives and Arab Americans pushing for a tougher stance.
On Tuesday, that displeasure will be quantifiably measured.
The president’s victory is not particularly in question in the primary, given that he faces no major opponents and has seen large victories in the early nominating races so far. However, Michigan is an incredibly narrowly divided swing state, and any drop off could spell trouble for November.
The state also has the largest population of people of Middle Eastern or North African descent of all the battlegrounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wayne County, home to Dearborn and Detroit, has the largest percentage of any county.
Trump won Michigan by under 11,000 votes in 2016, and Biden won the state by about 154,000 votes in 2020. More than 300,000 people in Michigan cite ancestry from the Middle East and North Africa, according to the 2020 census, easily exceeding the last two margins of victory in the state.
The Biden campaign has recognized the backlash. A spokesperson said in a statement, in part, that he is “working hard to earn every vote in Michigan.”
High stakes for Whitmer
Biden isn’t the only Democrat who could be affected by the results on Tuesday.
The state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is frequently cited as a possible presidential candidate in 2028 after winning her seat in 2018 and then romping to reelection in 2022, proving her ability to handily win one of the most important states in the Electoral College.
Her wins were fueled by support from moderates, suburbanites and Black voters — all constituencies Biden will need to shore up if he wants to win this November.
Whitmer is also one of eight national co-chairs of Biden’s reelection campaign, and her ability to help turn out voters for him in the state later this year could help pad her resume — and burnish her goodwill in the party — ahead of what will almost certainly be a crowded primary in 2028.
The governor has increased her appearances on the trail on Biden’s behalf, though she too has gotten flak both for statements that were considered too supportive of Israel or not supportive enough.
What’s going on with the Republican primary?
Republicans are holding their own primary Tuesday — and it’s confusing.
That’s because the party is also hosting a nominating convention on March 2. Sixteen delegates will be awarded based on Tuesday’s results and 39 will be awarded next month, when only elected party officials can vote.
The split was produced when the Democratic-controlled state government moved up the primary date to comply with Biden’s preferred overall primary calendar. However, the Republican Party’s rules prevent certain states from holding contests before March 1, so the Michigan GOP implemented a hybrid system to avoid being penalized by the national party.
State Republicans are also grappling with heightened uncertainty in the midst of a power struggle over the Michigan GOP.
Former Chair Kristina Karamo was ousted from her position earlier this year, with the Republican National Committee recognizing former Rep. Pete Hoekstra as the new state party leader. However, Karamo insists she’s still in charge and is suing.
Overall, however, Trump is the heavy favorite to win the primary. Haley has banked on possible crossover support, given that Democrats and independents can vote in the GOP primary, but the greater focus on Biden could draw their votes to that contest instead.
