Marvel Studios’Black Widow had a super-sized $215 million worldwide debut over the weekend. But stateside, the $80 million it made in theaters, along with the more than $60 million it generated via Disney+ Premiere Access, gave the character’s standalone adventure the highest domestic opening weekend for a Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story after Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
Scarlett Johansson, the star and executive producer of Black Widow, explained at a recent press event what makes her character, AKA Natasha Romanoff, so special in a field of super-soldiers and hammer-wielding gods.
“I was going to say the pose, but then Florence, poo pooed on that,” ScarJo said to laughs, referencing Florence Pugh‘s Black Widow character poking fun in the film at Natasha’s trademark pouncing hair flip.
“I think Natasha…has a lot of integrity,” Johansson says. “She’s a she’s a big character. And she’s…not afraid to admit when she’s wrong. She’s endearing that way. And I think she’s curious about herself and curious about other people. And I think it makes her stand out as superheroes go.”
Disney Studios Content Chairman Alan Bergman apparently agrees with the audience. “[T]his spectacular opening weekend shows just how eager fans have been to see this beloved Avenger in her own story,” he said in a statement.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.
Another summer means another summer music playlist from Barack Obama.
Over the weekend, the former president took to social media to share what he’s listening to these days. Like past playlists, the 2021 edition encompasses a range of genres, and it includes songs by several famous rock veterans.
Among the tunes that appear on the 38-track playlist are The Rolling Stones‘ “Tumbling Dice,” George Harrison‘s “My Sweet Lord,” Bob Dylan‘s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” Chicago‘s “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and Joni Mitchell‘s “Coyote.”
Alongside the list, Obama wrote, “With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer. Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately — it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between.”
Other artists that Obama has been listening to include Bob Marley & the Wailers, Stevie Wonder, Simply Red, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Staple Singers and Miles Davis.
With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer. Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately—it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between. pic.twitter.com/xwTPun9wsw
Twelve Foot Ninja has announced a new album called Vengeance.
The third studio effort from the Australian metallers will arrive October 15. It includes the previously released singles “Start the Fire” and “Long Way Home.”
To flesh out the world of Vengeance, Twelve Foot Ninja will be releasing a fantasy book titled The Wyvern and the Wolf, written by author Nicholas Snelling, as well as a graphic novel also called Vengeance.
You can also get a preview of the Vengeance story with the newly released video for “Start the Fire,” streaming now on YouTube.
Vengeance is the follow-up to 2016’s Outlier, which spawned the single “Invincible.”
Here’s the Vengeance track list:
“Start the Fire”
“Long Way Home”
“Vengeance”
“IDK”
“Shock to the System”
“Gone”
“Culture War”
“Dead End”
“Over and Out”
“Tangled”
Another summer means another summer music playlist from Barack Obama.
Over the weekend, the former president took to social media to share what he’s listening to these days. Like past playlists, the 2021 edition encompasses a range of genres, and it includes songs by several famous rock veterans.
Among the tunes that appear on the 38-track playlist are The Rolling Stones‘ “Tumbling Dice,” George Harrison‘s “My Sweet Lord,” Stevie Wonder‘s “If You Really Love Me,” Chicago‘s “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles‘ “The Tears of a Clown.”
Alongside the list, Obama wrote, “With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer. Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately — it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between.”
Other artists that Obama has been listening to include Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Simply Red, The Staple Singers and Miles Davis.
With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer. Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately—it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between. pic.twitter.com/xwTPun9wsw
Cedric the Entertainer will be the host of this year’s 73rd Emmy Awards.
On CBS’ social media accounts, Cedric announced the news in the form of an “and the winner is…” envelope reveal. “I’m about to be hostin’ the Emmys! And I ain’t even a Jimmy!” he laughed, before yelling the news off-screen: “Hey babe! I’m about to be hosting the Emmys!”
In a statement, the comedian noted, “Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year’s Emmy Awards.”
He continued, “Throughout the roller-coaster of a year that we have all lived through, television has helped us stay connected as a society like never before. It not only entertained us, but as it always has, it helped to open our eyes, educate us, and hopefully brought about a better understanding of who we are as a people.”
It is the first time Ced will host the event. The stand-up comic and Barbershop veteran stars on The Neighborhood on CBS.
The Emmys will be held live and in person from on Sunday, September 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The hosting news comes a day before the Emmy nominations will be announced virtually, streaming live on Tuesday, July 13, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time on Emmys.com.
Considering her net worth is something like $190 million, you wouldn’t think Adele would have to shop at an outlet mall, but apparently she likes a bargain just as much as everyone else.
Page Six reports that it’s been told Adele was seen shopping at the Prada store at an outlet mall near San Bernadino, CA called Cabazon Outlets, and that she was with British rapper Skepta, with whom she’s been linked romantically. A spy told Page Six that they clocked Skepta because he was British and reportedly had the same tattoos that Skepta has.
“She was sitting watching him while he was picking sweaters, pants, trying on jackets and coats and having the employees help him,” the spy says of Adele and Skepta. “She was giving him feedback and saying what she thought he looked great in.”
“It was cute that she was just waiting and being a normal girlfriend while he looked,” the spy added. “He must have shopped for 45 minutes.” Adele also played with another customer’s puppy, notes the spy.
Page Six speculates that the two were at the outlet because it’s near celebrity hangout Palm Springs, and it was around the time of the Fourth of July holiday.
In other Adele news, she’s posted a photo of herself rocking an England soccer jersey, praising her home country’s team even though they lost to Italy in the Euro championship. Noting that the final match took place at London’s Wembley stadium, she wrote, “You did us so proud! You brought our game home and brought us all together.”
Fans on social media believe rapper G Herbo is in hot water with his girlfriend, Taina Williams, after being spotted at his ex-girlfriend’s party this weekend.
Herbo and Williams welcomed their baby boy, Essex, in May, but according to The Shade Room, the couple no longer follow each other on Instagram. Williams jumped into the comments to share a few laughing emojis and let everyone know she temporarily blocked Herbo.
“…That’s still my man he just blocked. Nothing to see here,” she wrote, along with a heart-eyes emoji.
It’s unclear what exactly prompted Taina to block G Herbo, though many believe it had to do with G Herbo attending his ex Ari Fletcher‘s birthday party on Saturday. Fletcher and Herbo co-parent their three-year-old son, Yoshon.
Hopefully, things are OK between G Herbo and Taina. Twitter, however, seems to be having a field day going over the timeline of when Ari and G Herbo broke up in 2018 to when he began publicly dating Taina in January 2019.
“Y’all surprised about G Herbo being at Ari’s party last night. Y’all forgot he left Ari for Taina when they had an infant child,” one fan tweeted.
Another said, “Even if y’all think its okay for a [baby daddy] to go to his [baby mama] birthday party, Taina just had a damn baby. If G Herbo leaving her at home with the baby, it should not be for that reason.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Monday released a statement in solidarity with the thousands of Cubans who protested over the weekend about shortages and rising prices for food and medicine amid the coronavirus pandemic in what’s being called an unprecedented rejection of the island nation’s government.
Cuba’s communist leadership has already denounced the protests as a “systemic provocation” by Cuban dissidents and the U.S. government, encouraged its supporters to counter protests, and sent its armed forces into the streets, risking clashes with demonstrators.
“We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime,” Biden said in a statement Monday.
“The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves,” he said.
Sunday’s protests, in several cities across the island, are some of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba’s recent history, and Biden had been called on to show support for the protests.
While he helped the Obama administration’s efforts to ease tensions with Cuba and reopen trade and travel, Biden has kept most of former President Donald Trump’s sanctions and restrictions in place on America’s close neighbor and longtime adversary.
The administration says it is still reviewing its Cuba policy, earning the ire of progressives in the Democratic Party, but with these nearly unprecedented demonstrations, it may have to move more quickly than it hoped.
So far, the administration has voiced support for the Cuban people’s right to peacefully assemble and condemned any violence. Prior to Biden’s statement, acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Julie Chung and Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan weighed in with that sentiment.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged public grievances over blackouts and food and medicine shortages during a televised address Monday, but he blamed the island nation’s problems on the long-standing U.S. embargo and accused American “imperialists” of stoking tensions on social media.
“Yesterday, Cuba lived the most heroic day. Thousands of patriotic people defend the Revolution,” he said on state television, referring to pro-government demonstrations in Havana later on Sunday.
“We do not want to hurt our beloved people,” added Díaz-Canel, who assumed the presidency in 2019 and became the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party this April, officially taking over for Raúl Castro.
Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla had even sharper words Monday, firing back at Sullivan and Chung’s statements of support for protests by saying the White House has “no political or moral authority to speak about Cuba.”
“His government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to promote subversion in our country & implements a genocidal blockade, which is the main cause of economic scarcities,” he tweeted, referring directly to Sullivan’s statement.
Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, with its economy contracting by double-digits last year. But along with the economic crisis, the country is dealing with another deadly surge of COVID-19.
You won’t have to wait until next year to see AJR‘s OK ORCHESTRA tour.
The brother trio has announced a run of live headlining dates for this fall, kicking off September 7 in Madison, Wisconsin. The trek will precede the previously announced 2022 OK ORCHESTRA tour, set to launch next April.
Tickets to the 2021 shows will go on sale this Friday, July 16, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit AJRBrothers.com.
OK ORCHESTRA, AJR’s fourth studio album, was released in March. It includes the singles “Bang!” and “Way Less Sad.”
A stacked lineup of stars are confirmed to perform for the Country Music Association’s newly announced CMA Summer Jam, a two-night outdoor event taking place in downtown Nashville on July 27 and 28.
Performing the first night will be Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Carly Pearce, Mickey Guyton, Cole Swindell, Dwight Yoakam and Lainey Wilson.
The following night, Jimmie Allen, Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs and Dierks Bentley will take the stage, as will Florida Georgia Line, Brothers Osborne, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi and Thomas Rhett.
The show will take place at Music City’s Ascend Amphitheater, and it will be filmed as part of a three-hour primetime TV special, which will air later this summer on ABC. More details on that special, including additional performances filmed at other locations in Nashville, will be announced soon.
CMA Summer Jam marks the CMA’s first new outdoor concert event in two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has halted the annual CMA Fest, which usually takes place in June, for both 2020 and 2021.
Tickets for the show go on sale beginning July 14 at 10AM CT, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the CMA Foundation, which supports music education programs across the country.
