Luke Combs looks on during a press conference for the Concert for Carolina at Bank of America Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)
Starting Thursday, you’ll be able to support the Carolina Panthers and Luke Combs at the same time.
Die-hard Panthers fan Luke has partnered with the team for an exclusive merchandise collaboration, which will drop Thursday at 11 a.m. ET at the team store at Bank of American Stadium and online at shop.panthers.com.
Luke says in a statement, “It’s safe to say I bleed Carolina Panthers blue. They’ve been my team through thick and thin. I was born into this fandom. I met Sam Mills when I was 5 years old at a local restaurant during the team’s first season. I had a Panthers birthday when I turned 8.”
Luke adds, “I was able to hand pick each and every item in the collection. Talk about a full circle moment. This is it. Keep pounding.”
The collection features “vintage-inspired designs and a distinct ’90s aesthetic,” according to a press release. All net proceeds from the collection will go to Western North Carolina charities, including Second Harvest Food Bank NWNC.
Entertainer of the year nominee Luke will open the 59th annual CMA Awards Wednesday night on ABC.
Megan Thee Stallion attends the 2024 Planned Parenthood Of Greater New York Gala, April 16, 2024, in New York. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Megan Thee Stallion is expected to take the witness stand at a federal courthouse in Miami in connection with a defamation lawsuit that she filed in October 2024 against Milagro Cooper, a social media commentator and blogger known as Milagro Gramz.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, alleges in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida, that Cooper participated in a targeted and coordinated social media campaign to harass, intimidate and defame Pete, in concert with rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of shooting and injuring Pete in a July 2020 incident.
Lanez, birth name Daystar Peterson, is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit but was asked to give a deposition ahead of the trial. ABC News has reached out to his attorneys, but requests for comment were not returned.
The complaint, which was reviewed by ABC News, accuses Cooper of defamation, promoting an altered sexual depiction of Pete, cyberstalking and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Cooper denied wrongdoing in legal documents responding to the lawsuit. ABC News reached out to Cooper’s attorneys, but requests for comment were not returned.
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Cooper’s attorneys argued that “multiple allegations of ‘defamation’ are an overreach” and alleged that some statements made by Cooper are “substantially true,” while others are “clearly opinion and/or rhetorical hyperbole and therefore not actionable as a matter of law.”
The complaint argues that Cooper conspired with Peterson to “punish” Pete for testifying in Peterson’s trial where she named him as her shooter.
Peterson, who chose not to take the witness stand during the 2022 trial, pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was not the shooter.
Court records show that Peterson and his attorney were held in contempt of court by a magistrate judge earlier this week for failing to answer questions during a deposition related to Pete’s lawsuit against Cooper. Peterson was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
ABC News reached out to Peterson’s attorney Crystal Morgan for comment.
In her lawsuit against Cooper, Pete is seeking an unspecified amount in “compensatory damages, punitive damages, statutory damages, attorney’s fees, costs, interest, and all other damages as are just and proper as well as declaratory judgment to remedy Defendant’s unlawful behavior.”
The YouTube channel’s viral series asks drummers to come up with their own parts to a song that they’ve never heard before. After playing drum-less versions of tracks by Shinedown, Godsmack, A Perfect Circle, Killswitch Engage and Faith No More, Drumeo finally landed on a tune that Leto didn’t know: “Metalingus” by Alter Bridge.
“I’ve never done anything like this in my life,” Leto says during his first take on the challenge. “It’s crazy.”
Eventually, though, Leto persevered and delivered a full drum cover of “Metalingus,” which earned approval from Alter Bridge drummer Scott Phillips.
“That was really well done, super cool,” says Phillips, who also plays drums in Creed. “Great job, man.”
You may recall that Thirty Seconds to Mars’ music was featured in a previous Drumeo video, in which Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith played along to their song “The Kill.” That video has over 28 million views on YouTube.
Thirty Seconds to Mars released their latest album, It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day, in 2023.
Rock band America performs onstage at The Canyon Club on October 26, 2019 in Agoura Hills, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
America is hitting the road on a new tour in 2026.
The band, best known for such classic tracks as “A Horse with No Name” and “Sister Golden Hair,” has announced dates for The Happy Trails Tour 2026. The trek will kick off March 7 in Highland, California, and wrap May 23 in Modesto, California, with more dates to be added.
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at AmericaTheBand.com.
Original America member Dewey Bunnell is currently leading the group, following fellow original band member Gerry Beckley’s retirement from touring in 2024.
Bunnell and Beckley were announced as nominees for the 2026 class of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in October. Nominees become eligible 20 years after their first commercial release of a song. Inductees will be celebrated at a gala event in New York City next year.
The 59th annual CMA Awards (Country Music Association/ABC)
Ahead of the 59th annual CMA Awards Wednesday night, winners of two categories were announced on ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday morning.
Musical event of the year went to “Pour Me a Drink” by Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton, while music video of the year was awarded to “you look like you love me” by Ella Langley and Riley Green.
Ella, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson lead the nominations with six apiece. Zach Top follows closely behind with five, while Riley and Cody Johnson each have four.
The CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The event will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
The Who on stage during a fundraising concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London. (Photo by David Jensen/PA Images via Getty Images)
The Who is revisiting their 2017 performance of Tommy at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and they want their fans to join them.
The band has announced a Tommy: Live at Royal Albert Hall global watch party streaming Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. ET on Lounges.tv. Proceeds will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to providing specialized treatment and support for young people with cancer.
The stream will include a Q&A with frontman Roger Daltrey, and fans will have a chance to win prizes by answering questions in the chat. Prizes up for grabs include a five-seater box to a future Teenage Cancer Trust show at Royal Albert Hall, a pair of stalls tickets to one of the future shows and a Tommy poster autographed by Daltrey.
The Who performed Tommy at Royal Albert Hall on March 30 and April 1, 2017. While previous performances of Tommy left out a few songs, these shows marked the first time they performed the rock opera in its entirety.
Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, a recording of the April 1 show, was later released on DVD and Blu-ray, and as a two-CD and three-LP set.
Lainey Wilson hosts the 2025 CMA Awards (Disney/Robby Klein)
On Wednesday night Lainey Wilson will follow in the footsteps of Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, becoming one of the only female country stars to host the CMA Awards solo.
It’s a role she’s been studying for since her childhood in Louisiana.
“I remember being a little girl and just sitting in front of the TV waiting for the CMA Awards to come on,” Lainey says. “It was like [the] Super Bowl at my house. It was just like the event of the year. We wanted to see what everybody was wearing, what they were singing, who won what. And we were just cheering for everybody, because we were cheering for the genre.”
For Lainey, leading Country Music’s Biggest Night is definitely a pinch-me moment.
“It’s crazy to think that I was ever even invited to attend something like this, much less nominated to win something, and now I’m getting the chance to host it and represent country music,” she reflects. “So I don’t take that lightly.”
“I think that little girl in front of that TV would be awfully proud,” she adds.
Tune in to see Lainey host the 59th annual CMA Awards Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, as she simultaneously competes for six trophies.
Green Day’s Mike Dirnt on ‘Good Morning America.’ (ABC/Paula Lobo)
Green Day‘s Mike Dirnt has announced a new signature bass with Epiphone.
The Mike Dirnt Grabber G-3 is inspired by Dirnt’s original Gibson bass, which he started playing while touring Green Day’s 1990 debut album, 39/Smooth.
“This bass sounds every bit as good as my original,” Dirnt says of his signature Grabber G-3. “I can honestly say that, if not way better, because I just toured them for over two years and they performed like magic.”
Dirnt demos the Grabber G-3 while playing along to Green Day’s “Longview” in a Epiphone video on YouTube.
Dwayne Johnson has been crowned the Entertainment Icon by the American Black Film Festival. He’ll receive the award at the eighth annual ABFF Honors in recognition of his success in television, film and live entertainment.
“Dwayne Johnson is the very definition of an entertainment icon,” said Jeff Friday and Nicole Friday, the CEO and president of Nice Crowd, formerly known as ABFF Ventures. “From his trailblazing career in sports entertainment to his extraordinary success in film and television, he has become one of the most influential and beloved figures in global culture.”
“His journey embodies the power of perseverance, authenticity, and charisma — values that reflect the spirit of ABFF,” they continued in their press statement. “We are thrilled to honor him with this year’s Entertainment Icon Award and to celebrate his incredible contributions to the world of entertainment.”
Dwayne joins honorees Jennifer Hudson, who will receive the Renaissance Award; Damson Idris, winner of the Horizon Award; Salli Richardson-Whitfield, who is set to receive the Evolution Award; and the creative team behind Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners, who will receive a special tribute.
The ABFF Honors will take place Feb. 16 at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, with KevOnStage on hosting duties.
Russell Dickerson + Jonas Brothers ‘Happen to Me’ (Triple Tigers)
Russell Dickerson is best known as a country star, but he’s had a few songs cross over to the pop charts, including “I Remember,” his collaboration with Cheat Codes. Now, he’s got his biggest pop hit yet with “Happen to Me,” thanks to it going viral on TikTok. Russell says he’s not sure why, but he’s just riding the wave.
“I don’t know, bro. I’m just, I always just want to do big things … We’re just following the song, really. Like, it’s just kind of taken off by itself,” he says. “And it started in country, yes. I just made a stupid dance on TikTok and now … I get tagged in it all the time, which is amazing.”
He shares that he’s “got a version with the Jonas Brothers now,” noting, “It’s wild.”
Russell released the new studio version of the song with JoBros on Oct. 31. The collab came about when Russell appeared onstage with the brothers in Detroit in August.
“They asked me to be one of their special guests. You know, they have a special guest every night. They’ve had everybody, I mean, so many people, so … [I’m] honored to be that,” Russell tells ABC Audio. “And I brought a girl on my team, Daniella, she grew up with them.”
“And I was like, “Yo, what if while we’re there, we just float the idea of a feature on ‘Happen To Me?'” he continues. “And so she kinda, she was dropping a couple [hints], I was [too] … and they were just like, they were all about it. ‘Cause like, [the song] was — it still is — just, like, going.”
“So, why would they not just hop on?” Russell asks. “It’s like a free ride to the top for them!”
