Report: Bill Cosby considering lawsuit against Pennsylvania for prison sentence

Attorney Jennifer Bonjean and Bill Cosby speak outside of Cosby’s home on June 30, 2021 in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania; Michael Abbott/Getty Images

After his 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges was overturned by Pennsylvania’s highest court, Bill Cosby is reportedly considering suing the state of Pennsylvania.

Cosby was sentenced in September 2018 after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that an agreement with a previous prosecutor in the case meant Cosby shouldn’t have been charged in the case.

The comedian’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, says the state violated Cosby’s due process rights. He told the Domenick Nati Show Friday, “We are looking at what recourse, what legal recourse we can take against the state of Pennsylvania” and added that he believes the state has “an axe to grind against black men.”

Wyatt stated Cosby is hoping to obtain “a couple of hundred grand” in compensation.

On Sunday, Montgomery County PA District Attorney Kevin Steele issued a statement, obtained by ABC News, which addressed State Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer calling Cosby’s trial a “reprehensible bait and switch” by the prosecution, referring to a claim made by Cosby’s legal team that Montgomery County prosecutor Bruce Castor promised not to criminally prosecute Cosby in the Constand case.

“To be very clear, prosecutors in this case did not believe there was an agreement not to prosecute or immunity for the defendant at the time we moved forward on the case, and we do not believe it now,” Steele’s statement reads, in part. “If we had believed there was an agreement or immunity, we would not have moved forward in our attempt to bring Cosby to justice.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Justin Bieber gives three concerts in Las Vegas over the weekend

Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas

Justin Bieber had quite a warmup for his 2022 tour this past weekend: He performed three times in 24 hours in Las Vegas, Billboard reports.

Things kicked off Friday night when Justin performed for more than an hour at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas, singing 18 songs, including his new collaboration with The Kid LAROI, “Stay” — and LAROI joined him to sing the track.

Then, a few hours later, Billboard reports, Justin appeared at the Wynn’s XS Nightclub and sang five songs, including “Peaches,” “Sorry,” “What Do You Mean” and “Where Are You Now.”

On Saturday night, Justin was back at the Wynn to celebrate the grand opening of the hotel’s new supper club, Delilah. After walking the red carpet with his wife Hailey and other stars, including Kendall Jenner, Anitta, Machine Gun Kelly, Addison Rae and others, took the stage for a midnight set.

Justin sang about six songs for the 500 guests, Billboard reports, including “Holy,” “Hold On,” and “Peaches,” as well as “Stay,” for which he was joined again by The Kid LAROI.

He wrote on Instagram, “Last night was crazy!”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

American Federation of Teachers honors Steven Van Zandt with Making a Difference award

Credit: Heidi Gutman

E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt was honored by the American Federation of Teachers over the weekend and, during the emotional ceremony, praised teachers for being “on the frontlines against ignorance.”

According to a statement from AFT, Van Zandt, 70, was awarded the organization’s Making a Difference award for his support of teachers, inclusive of his “years of work promoting and appreciating the work of educators” through his philanthropy.

The guitarist appeared virtually at the federation’s TEACH summer educational issues conference on Saturday.

“This is an amazing award, coming from my favorite people — you,” Van Zandt began in his pre-recorded speech. “You, my friends, are the ones who make a difference every day. Teachers are on the frontlines against ignorance. Honestly, we have never needed you more.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also praised the arts-inclusive twist on the STEM acronym, now called STEAM to include arts education.

“There are no wrong answers in the arts,” said Van Zandt. “The arts provide a comfort zone, and that extends to other disciplines.”

He closed his speech by praising all educators, saying, “I can’t overstate my appreciation for all you do and for this award. I salute you. You are helping to create the next generation of engineers, scientists, doctors, nurses, artists, activists, writers and even musicians.”

In the statement, AFT president Randi Weingarten said they chose Van Zandt to receive the honor because he “passionately spreads the gospel of teachers’ tireless work and actively engages with teachers and students during regular classroom visits and through TeachRock.org, his free online music and arts curriculum.”

The statement adds, “He lends his name and notoriety to supporting educators, which is particularly special given everything they’ve done to support students in the last year.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Country star trivia

Comstock/Thinkstock

On this date in 2014, “Somethin’ Bad” — a duet between two of country music’s biggest female artists — became a #1 hit. Neither singer was a stranger to the top spot on the chart, but the song was the first chart-topping duet between two female solo acts in two decades. Do you know who sang it? ANSWER: Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Going Dutch: See Ariana Grande’s honeymoon pics

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Ariana Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez apparently went Dutch when it came to their honeymoon: The singer has posted a bunch of photos of a trip to Amsterdam and The Netherlands.

Ari captioned the photos with emojis of a snail and a waffle, both of which are apparently associated with Amsterdam.  The images include videos of a swan and a ladybug, but what gives their location away is that the two are seen posing inside a set of giant wooden shoes. There’s also a beautiful picture of a windmill and a shot of one of Amsterdam’s famous canals. 

The two seem to have taken a boat ride, visited a jazz club and traveled by train while they were there, based on the pictures and some videos on Ari’s Instagram story.  It’s not clear when the honeymoon took place, but Ari is still wearing her signature ponytail. There have been reports recently that she’s switched that out for a bob, but that’s unconfirmed.

Ari and Dalton wed in an intimate ceremony in May after they began dating last year.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Hit the disco with Foo Fighters in new “You Should Be Dancing” live video

ABC

Foo Fighters have shared a live performance video for their cover of the Bee Gees song “You Should Be Dancing.”

The clip transports Dave Grohl and company, here referred to as the Dee Gees, back to a ’70s disco straight out of Saturday Night Fever as they funk their way through the song. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.

The Foos first premiered their “You Should Be Dancing” cover back in February during a BBC Radio 2 performance. It’ll also appear on their upcoming Bee Gees tribute compilation Hail Satin, which will be released in independent record stores for this Saturday’s Record Store Day event.

Hail Satin follows Foo Fighters’ new album Medicine at Midnight, which was released earlier this year. It includes the singles “Shame Shame” and “Waiting on a War.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Barack Obama unveils summer playlist, “It’s a mix of old and new”

ABC

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, with songs from Jazmine Sullivan, Arooj AftabWye OakMigosJoni MitchellChicagoRihannaJAY-ZErykah BaduBrandi CarlileGeorge Harrison and many more.

Alongside the 38-track 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.”

The former POTUS also shared his summer reading list, which includes 11 titles from authors David DiopEric NguyenElizabeth KolbertAndy WeirKatie Kitamura and others. 

“Whether you’re camped out on the beach or curled up on the couch on a rainy day, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a great book in the summer,” he shared. “While we were still in the White House, I began sharing my summer favorites — and over the years, it’s become a little tradition that I look forward to sharing with you all. So without further ado, here are some books I’ve read recently.”

Obama concluded, “Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Remember Her Name’: Mickey Guyton announces her new album, due out in the fall

Capitol Records Nashville

Mickey Guyton has shared plans for a full-length studio album called Remember Her Name. The singer co-wrote 15 of her new project’s 16 tracks, and she says it’s a personal reflection of her journey through Nashville and country music stardom.

Remember Her Name is a culmination of the last ten years of my life in Nashville,” Mickey says. “…All those years ago, I set out to create music that would make people feel self-empowered, loved and comfortable with being themselves and this album holds true to all of that. I hope everyone who listens finds something that connects and speaks to them.”

Mickey’s new album will include a number of songs already familiar to fans, including “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Black Like Me” as well as “Rosé,” from her Bridges EP.

The project also includes Mickey’s version of  Beyoncé’s 2008 hit, “If I Were a Boy,” a cover version the country singer first shared earlier in 2021. It’s also the only track on Remember Her Name that Mickey didn’t have a hand in writing.

According to CMT, Remember Her Name‘s title track was inspired by Breonna Taylor, the Louisville, Kentucky Black woman who was unintentionally shot and killed by police officers in her home in March 2020.

“When I was thinking about…Breonna Taylor, and seeing inaction regarding her murder, I thought, ‘I need to bring justice to her life,’” Mickey told CMT. “…The frustration that I’ve felt as an African-American has been a part of my process for a while. So the song, and album, are dedicated to Breonna Taylor and giving her the justice that she deserves.”

Remember Her Name is due out September 24. It’s available for pre-order now.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mark Hoppus to take important test “that may very well determine if I live or die” amid cancer battle

Erik Voake/Getty Images

Blink-182‘s Mark Hoppus will be undergoing an important test this week that he says may determine the fate of his cancer battle.

In a tweet over the weekend, Hoppus wrote, “Apologies if I’m oversharing but it’s so surreal to think that this week I’ll take a test that may very well determine if I live or die.”

“Thanks to everyone for the positive thoughts and encouragement,” he added. “I read all your replies and it means the world to me. Thank you.”

Hoppus, who revealed news of his cancer diagnosis in June, also shared a photo from a recent X-ray, which seems to indicate a tumor that’s grown in his shoulder. He hasn’t revealed what kind of cancer he has, but he did share that a bone marrow transplant might be a possible treatment.

“I’m going to beat this through chemotherapy or through bone marrow transplants, but either way I’m determined to kick cancer’s a** directly in the nuts,” Hoppus wrote. “Love to you all. Let’s. Heckin. Go.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Backstreet Boys returning to Las Vegas for ‘A Very Backstreet Christmas Party’

PRNewsfoto/Caesars Entertainment

Backstreet Boys are heading back to the site of their super-successful Las Vegas residency for a series of 12 holiday-themed shows.

A Very Backstreet Christmas Party will launch at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on November 11 and run through December 23. This is the first time Backstreet has done a holiday show, and it’ll feature them performing holiday favorites, hits and new original songs.

While it hasn’t been officially announced yet, AJ McLean recently said that the group’s been working on their first-ever Christmas album, so it’s a good bet these shows will feature songs from that project.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, July 16 at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.  There’s a presale available for Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Caesars Rewards members on Thursday, while Citi cardmembers can grab them on Wednesday. Visit CitiEntertainment.com for more information.

VIP meet and greet opportunities will be available at BSB’s website. One dollar from every ticket sold will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada.   During the group’s Larger Than Life residency, which rain from 2017 to 2018, they donated $180,000 to the organization.

Here are the dates:

11/11
11/12
11/13
11/14
11/18
11/20
11/21
12/16
12/18
12/19
12/22
12/23

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.