(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 103, Detroit 94
Brooklyn 109, Sacramento 85
Oklahoma City 127, New York 123 (OT)
New Orleans 120, Toronto 90
Portland 122, Milwaukee 107
Chicago 120, San Antonio 109
Utah 135, Houston 101
Denver 121, Orlando 111
L.A. Clippers 119, Golden State 104
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Minnesota 7, Detroit 4
Chicago 3, Winnipeg 1
Toronto 6, Seattle 2
Edmonton 3, San Jose 0
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(6)Kansas 76, Oklahoma St. 62
The title of his new album, Blue in the Sky, reflects the optimistic state he’s at in life right now, but the singer says he was initially unsure of what to call the album until he heard the opening line of “Tequila on a Boat,” his duet with Chris Lane.
“There’s not really a song title that wraps its arms around how I’m feeling or this group of songs. So we were kicking around ideas, we’re talking months on end here, and ‘blue in the sky’ is the first line of ‘Tequila on a Boat.’ I’m like, ‘well is there a lyric that we can name the album after,'” he explains. “That was the one that raised its hand because of where I am, and I think where this album points, and that’s just very optimistic.”
But the Tullahoma, TN native had to walk through darkness before he could get to the light, going through a breakup only to discover who he truly is. The positive spirit on the other side helped inspire the album.
“Going through a relationship, break up, coming out on the other side of it and finding myself more than I ever have before and being comfortable in my own skin and what I want out of life,” he describes of his journey. “I’m in a very happy place, an optimistic place with my life personally, but also with what’s going on with my music career. It’s just awesome. It’s all good news and I truly believe we all have a choice every day to notice the blue in the sky, and that’s really what that lyric in that title reminds me to think of.”
Dustin is bringing “Party Mode” to country radio as his next single. He launches a tour of the same name on March 17.
Journey is gearing up for a lengthy U.S. trek with Toto dubbed the 2022 Freedom Tour that kicks off on February 22 in Pittsburgh.
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain tells ABC Audio that the two bands have a familial connection, because his daughter Madison is engaged to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather‘s son Trevor. The couple is slated to be married early this year.
“It’s all in the family now,” Cain jokes.
Meanwhile, Jonathan notes that this will be the first time that his group and Toto will hit the road together, and he says he feels the two acts are a good pairing.
“We did one show with Toto years ago,” Cain recalls. “And, you know, both crowds seemed to dig each other’s music, so we thought, ‘Why not?'”
Journey and Toto both feature virtuoso rock guitarists — Neal Schon and Lukather — and Cain says there’s a good chance that the two musicians will hit the stage together to jam during the trek.
“I’m sure that will happen a bunch,” he notes. “Been buddies for a long time and looking forward to it.”
The 2022 Freedom Tour will mark Journey’s first full-length tour since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
“We are pleased as heck to be in the arenas [again],” Jonathan declares. “It’s a risky deal, but we’re going to follow the [COVID] protocol precautions for safety for the crew and the band.”
The tour is plotted out through a May 11 show in Hartford, Connecticut. Billy Idol originally had been announced as opening act for the first portion of the trek. However, sinus issues forced Idol to bow out of the tour, so Toto now is opening the entire trek.
Monday’s episode of The Bachelor opened with the conclusion of last week’s two-on-one date that finally put an end to Shanae‘s time on the show.
Clayton arranged the date with Shanae and Genevieve in an effort to settle a dispute between the two rivals and bring an end to the drama in the house.
Shanae, who thus far had succeeded in convincing Clayton that she was being bullied by the other women, and not the other way around, failed to convince him that Genevieve feelings for him were an act. The 29-year-old Ohio native was stunned when he handed Genevieve the date rose.
Upon seeing her suitcase being wheeled out, the other ladies also celebrated with champagne toast.
“Here’s to finally curing the herpes outbreak,” cheered Marlena, recalling a joke she made about Shanae during during last week’s group date in which the women were asked to roast each other.
“Ding-dong the shrimp is dead,” added Hunter, referring to the infamous “shrimp-gate” incident that ended with Elizabeth‘s departure.
Ironically, the rose ceremony would send Marlena and Hunter packing.
The journey to find love then headed overseas to Hvar, Croatia. However, with hometowns looming and the competition heating up, Mara, who lost a one-on-one date to Sarah, who had already had one, felt she needed to step up her game.
During a group date, Mara took Clayton aside to warn him that the 23-year-old wasn’t ready for marriage, causing him to doubt if there were others stringing him along as well.
Clayton, without revealing its source, confronted Sarah with the accusation, which she tearfully denied. He believed and gave her the date rose, though she was left wondering who would do such a thing.
Elsewhere, Teddi picked up a rose following a one-on-one date, and Rachel snatched the group date rose.
Here are the other women remaining after the rose ceremony:
Eliza, 25, a marketing manager from Berlin, Germany
Gabby, 30, an ICU nurse from Denver, Colo.
Genevieve, 26, a bartender from Los Angeles, Calif.
Mara, 32, an entrepreneur from Collingswood, N.J.
Rachel, 25, a flight instructor from Clermont, Fla.
Sarah, 23, a wealth management advisor from New York City, N.Y.
Serene, 26, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, Okla.
Susie, 28, a wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Va.
Teddi, 25, a surgical unit nurse from Highland, Calif.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is warning that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region.
As many as 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders and U.S. officials have urged all Americans to leave the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the country was shuttering its embassy in Kyiv and “temporarily” relocating the small group of diplomats left in Ukraine to the western city of Lviv, citing the “rapid acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces.”
But Ukrainian officials have said they do not see signs of a Russian attack as soon as Wednesday — the date reportedly given to NATO allies — and called for a day of unity instead.
Russia has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance and pull back troops from Eastern European member states, while denying it has plans to invade Ukraine.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 15, 5:41 am
Ukraine reacts to Russia announcing withdrawal: ‘We’ll believe it when we see it’
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba reacted to Russia’s announcement Tuesday that it is withdrawing some troops from the border, saying his country will “believe it when we see it.”
“There are constantly various statements coming from the Russian Federation, so we have a rule: we’ll believe it when we see it,” Kuleba said during a televised briefing Tuesday. “When we see the withdrawal, we’ll believe in de-escalation.”
Feb 15, 5:25 am
Russia says some troops will return to base
Some Russian troops positioned near the border with Ukraine will begin returning to their bases Tuesday after completing “exercises,” according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The units set to return are from Russia’s Southern and Western Military Districts, the defense ministry said Tuesday. But there are troops from other military districts massed on the border. Still, if some troops do pull back, it would potentially be a key signal that the crisis with Ukraine will not escalate.
Russian state media then released video purportedly showing tank troops loading up in neighboring Belarus to return home as well as tanks in southwestern Russia moving back. A spokesperson for Russia’s Southern Military District told state media Tuesday that some personnel have begun leaving Crimea for their permanent bases following the completion of drills.
In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and established two federal subjects there, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. But the international community still recognizes the territories as being part of Ukraine.
Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the military exercises would end “in the near future.” There are still drills being conducted in neighboring Belarus as well as the Black Sea that are due to end Feb. 20.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on her official Facebook page on Tuesday that Feb. 15 “will go down in history as the day the Western propoganda war failed.”
“Disgraced and destroyed without a single shot fired,” Zakharova added.
Feb 15, 4:29 am
White House warns invasion could start ‘at any time’
While the United States believes a path of diplomacy remains “open” to Russia, a White House official warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could begin at any time.”
Answering a question from ABC News’ Cecilia Vega during a press briefing Monday, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. government is so far seeing “more and more” Russian troops arrive on the border with Ukraine.
“In the past 10 days or so, when you look at what is happening at the border of Ukraine, there, we are seeing more than 100,000 troops there and it’s just been an every day more and more troops,” Jean-Pierre said.
“So we are certainly open to having conversations and seeing a de-escalation,” she added. “That door is open for diplomacy and this is up to President Putin. He has to make that decision. It is his decision to make on which direction he wants to take this.”
Jean-Pierre noted that “it remains unclear which path Russia will choose to take.”
When asked about the imminency of the situation, she said: “We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time.”
“I’m not going to comment on the intelligence information,” she added, “except to say that it could begin this week.”
Badflower has announced a North American headlining tour.
The U.S. leg, which will feature support from the bands ’68 and BRKN Love, will launch April 6 in New Haven, Connecticut, and will wrap up May 1 in Louisville, Kentucky. That’ll be followed by a two-week run through Canada in May.
Tickets to on sale this Friday, February 18. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BadflowerMusic.com.
Badflower will be touring behind their sophomore album This Is How the World Ends, which dropped last September.
The Who recently announced dates for a new two-leg 2022 North American trek dubbed The Who Hits Back! tour, marking the British rock legends’ return to the road after their postponing tour plans multiple times because of COVID-19.
In a new Rolling Stone interview, guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, 76, notes that although the new outing is “not a farewell tour,” he is hoping to retire from the road at some point.
“I had a conversation with [singer] Roger [Daltrey]. I said to him, ‘I don’t want to be like one of these guys that dies on tour,'” Townshend notes. “I do want to retire. And by ‘retire’ I don’t mean retire from being a musician or artist or creator.”
He adds, “Roger is of the opinion that he wants to sing until he drops. That’s not my philosophy of life. There are other things that I want to do…and will do, I hope. I hope I’ll live long enough to do them.”
For now, Townshend says The Who are committed to keep touring at least through 2023, when he says the band will be rescheduling the U.K. trek they postponed.
Meanwhile, Townshend says he been “very, very busy” working on various music projects, both for himself and with other artists. One project is music for a previously reported art installation connected to his 2019 novel, The Age of Anxiety. Another is a charity project to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust that involves “old music that’s been re-recorded,” and “possibly a podcast.”
Pete also has been collaborating with U.K. folk artist Reg Meuross “on a podcast [and a song cycle] about Woody Guthrie called Fire and Dust,” as well as with a group called the Bookshop Band that “write songs about novels and fictional books.”
Selena Gomez showed what happened behind-the-scenes when filming her “Let Somebody Go” music video with Coldplay. The four-minute clip shows Selena and Chris Martin getting used to the complicated rigging system to make it appear that the two were floating through the air. It also includes interviews from the video’s director, Dave Meyes, and those who were behind the camera about the work that went into bringing the melancholy video to life.
Lizzo says she is “redefining love.” Taking to Instagram on Valentine’s Day, the Grammy winner defined love as “compassion for others, talking on the phone w friends and laughing all night, looking in the mirror & dancing for myself.” She also called love “a precious element” and encouraged her followers to “[h]elp a stranger, call a friend, hype yourself up” to learn her definition of what love truly means.
JoJo has found her next project and is joining the All American series in a recurring role that takes a page from her own life story. Per Deadline, JoJo will play “Sabine, a world famous recording artist who’s been making music since she was 10 years old,” and who searches out Greta Onieogou‘s Layla to help her complete her upcoming album. JoJo’s first appearance coincides with the season four premiere of All American, which airs this Monday, February 21, at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
Whoopi Goldberg returned to The View on Monday following her two-week suspension and promised that the show would keep having “tough conversations.” Whoopi faced criticism after saying on the show that she did not believe the Holocaust was about race, but instead about “man’s inhumanity to man.” She later apologized but was removed temporarily from her duties as co-host.
Trevor Noah has been announced as the entertainer at the next White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Deadline reports. The event will return April 30 after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a new interview with Elle magazine, Zoë Kravitz opens up about her divorce, talks internet trolls and laments the too-soon cancellation of her Hulu show High Fidelity. On her divorce from Karl Glusman, The Batman actress says, “It really is less about him and more about me learning how to ask myself questions about who I am and still learning who I am, and that being okay. That’s the journey I’m on right now.” Kravitz is currently dating Channing Tatum.
Bring Me the Horizon‘s collaboration with Ed Sheeran isn’t over yet.
The two acts are planning to release a studio version of their collaborative version of Sheeran’s hit “Bad Habits,” which they performed together during the U.K.’s BRIT Awards last week.
The news was announced in a video of a FaceTime call between Horizon frontman Oli Sykes and Sheeran, during which they reminisced about the fun they had onstage together.
“It’s just a joy to be able to play electric guitar and actually rock out properly,” Sheeran said. “So thank you for agreeing to do it.”
At the end of the call, Sykes and Sheeran agree they need to release a studio version.
“We have to get one out,” Sheeran says.
They’ll do just that when the recording drops this Friday, February 18.
