Ariana Grande, who plays future Good Witch of the North Glinda in the new Wicked movie, knows a witch when she sees one — and she confirms Stevie Nicks is definitely one.
Ari got to meet the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer last month when she was the musical guest the week Ari hosted Saturday Night Live. Appearing on the Las Culturistas podcast, Ari told co-hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, “She had written me a letter a few years ago. So we had spoken once before but we had never met.”
Yang, also an SNL cast member, then described the moment they met on set: “Stevie took Ari’s hands and was like, ‘I have to tell you that I loved your video for “We Can’t Be Friends.” It reminded me of so many people that I have come across in my life.'”
Describing the meeting as “surreal,” Ariana continued, “I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe anything. She’s so kind, so kind. And so cool and so beautiful. I can’t really get over what that was like spending those few days together and sharing the space with her. Just such a warm, beautiful, good witch in every sense.”
Because of her mystical songs and appearance, Stevie has been nicknamed “the White Witch” ever since the ’70s. She has also leaned into the characterization, portraying a witch in 2013’s American Horror Story: Coven.
It’s only been a few hours since Donald Trump was elected president, but Boosie already has some requests. In tweets shared directly to the president-elect, he asked to be pardoned for gun charges he’s currently facing in San Diego.
“CAN U PARDON ME ON MY FED CASE? i’m a NON VIOLENT FELON. THE COURTS RULED THAT a NON VIOLENT CANNOT BE CHARGED WITH A 922g. THE JUDGE DISMISSED MY CASE BUT THE RULING HAS BEEN APPEALED!!” Boosie wrote. “SO ONCE AGAIN I WAS INDICTED IM FIGHTING THIS CASE!! THIS IS THE EXACT CASE to US VS DUARTE THAT WAS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL.”
He also requested some time to chat about Trump’s decision to give police immunity. “I THINK THIS WILL MOTIVATE OFFICERS TO COMMIT DEADLY CRIMES. PLEASE DONT DO THIS,” he said of the idea. “anyway congratulations on your win LETS GET THIS MONEY N DROP THESE TAXES s*** killing me.”
Boosie was initially charged with possession of a firearm as a felon in interstate commerce, but the case was dismissed due to a previous ruling that found the law unconstitutional for non-violent offenders, according to ABC27. He was indicted again for interstate commerce as a convicted felon and for knowingly possessing a firearm while using controlled substances. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted on the latter charge.
for KING + COUNTRY‘s latest hit, “Place in This World,” is a remake of the 1991 top 10 hit by Michael W. Smith that features Smith himself as a special guest. The duo’s Luke Smallbone says that he and his brother and bandmate Joel had an ulterior motive when they asked Smith to join them on the record.
“We’ve known Michael over the years, but never really gotten to spend a ton of time with him,” explains Luke. “And so, when we were working on this song … I kept saying to him, ‘Michael! You know why we’re doing this, right?’ And he was like, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘It’s a good excuse for us to hang out a little bit more!'”
As for the song itself, Luke says its message is more important than ever.
“I think that this song was almost ahead of its time,” he notes. “People are trying to find their place in this world and I think the best way [to do that] is to actually look heavenward.”
He adds, “I think it’s probably more applicable today than it ever has been in the history of the world … and if you can remake a song from 30 years ago and it still has traction today, that is truly a great song.”
After the duo wraps their Unsung Hero tour on Nov. 10, they’ll launch their A Drummer Boy Christmas tour on Dec. 1. While the tour will only play theaters in New York, LA, London and Nashville this year, you’ll be able to experience it via A Drummer Boy Christmas concert movie.
The Fathom Events screenings will be held in the U.S., England and Australia starting December 5 and as Luke notes, “To be able to talk about ‘the Greatest Story Ever Told’ worldwide is a wonderful thing.”
“Messed Up as Me” is not just another song for Keith Urban. Though he didn’t write it, Keith says its lyrics resonated so much with him that he knew recording it was imperative.
“Any song that says, ‘When I get blue, I get dark blue’? I’m in. I was in right from that line. I went, ‘Tell me more. I know this guy. Tell me this,'” Keith shares. “‘When I get gone, I get real gone’? Oh my God. ‘When I get it wrong’? I mean, it’s just a true song. It’s a true song.”
Bringing the storyline to life in a music video wasn’t the easiest. It took “a long time to edit and put together” because Keith “wanted to capture that same kind of truth.”
“I’m very interested to see people’s reaction,” he says of the visualizer, before expounding on the connection he has with “Messed Up as Me.”
“This is one of those songs that grabbed me, you know?” says Keith. “If I’m going to do a song that I didn’t write, it’s got to grab me. It can’t be a cerebral thing. It’s got to be visceral.”
“It just speaks to me, and [‘Messed Up as Me’] definitely did,” he adds.
“Messed Up as Me” is currently #15 on the country charts.
Its music video, which features late-night footage of Nashville’s Lower Broadway and more, is out now.
The new Bruce Springsteen documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+, and while the movie gives fans insight into the band’s live show, it also turns the camera on Bruce’s dedicated fans.
The film’s director, Thom Zimny, tells ABC Audio that he’s always felt welcomed by the fans, noting that for many, coming to a concert is about more than just getting to see Bruce play some songs.
“When I was interviewing the fans, the beautiful thing I encountered was this universal connection to the music,” he says. “And it goes beyond fandom.”
“I really talked to the people at length and found, to have simple stories of their connection to be a really powerful thing,” he says. “It wasn’t being obsessed with celebrity or chasing a rock god. It’s more that they’ve taken this positive thing in their life, made a community out of it and it reinforces ideas for them that bring joy in their life.”
He adds, “That silent communication that you see in people’s faces with the music and the band, it’s something that I abstractly wanted to try to get across. It’s really hard to put into words.”
Zimny himself is one of those fans, and when asked to pick his favorite Springsteen album, he had a hard time choosing.
“For me, every day there’s an opportunity to step into a Springsteen album. … Every day you can find an album to start at the beginning and play straight through till the end,” he says. “The narrative arc and the journeys on these albums are flawless and they stay with me in a timeless way.”
From Zero, which features the lead single “The Emptiness Machine,” drops Nov. 15. It’s the first Linkin Park album to follow the 2017 death of frontman Chester Bennington, and their first with new vocalist Emily Armstrong.
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris said her heart is “full of resolve” after losing the presidential election to former President Donald Trump.
“My heart is full today — full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve,” Harris said Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But … the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up,” Harris said.
Harris said she told Trump on the phone Wednesday that she’ll help with a peaceful transfer of power, which got a cheer from the crowd at Howard.
“We must accept the results of this election,” the vice president said.
“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” Harris said, alluding to Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his loss of the 2020 election.
Harris stressed, “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
“The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people — a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation — the ideals that reflect America at our best,” she said.
Harris vowed that she’ll “never give up the fight for a future … where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body.”
“We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence,” she continued. “And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.”
She said that fight will continue “in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square.”
“And we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor,” she said. “By always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve.”
To her young supporters watching, the vice president said, “It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s gonna be OK.”
“Sometimes the fight takes a while. … The important thing is don’t ever give up,” she said.
“This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together,” she said.
Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff waved to the crowd after her remarks as Harris’ running mate, an emotional Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, looked on.
Harris’ family, Walz’s family, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Harris’ campaign staff were also in attendance.
Harris’ defeat came as Trump won the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin overnight. Trump won another swing state, Michigan, on Wednesday.
Trump’s victory underscores just how deep voters’ frustrations were surrounding inflation and immigration, Republicans’ two top issues this election cycle as polls consistently showed Americans’ unhappiness with how President Joe Biden handled them. Trump’s return to the White House also suggests that Democrats were not motivated enough by the prospect of electing the first female president and that its base’s fury over the Supreme Court’s revocation of constitutional abortion protections has waned since 2022.
Biden plans to address the nation on Thursday.
ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie and Tal Axelrod contributed to this report.
Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Celine Dion and Elton John are among the nominees for the 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Miley is being recognized for “Beautiful That Way,” a song she wrote and performed for the film The Last Showgirl, while Selena is nominated for “Mi Camino,” the song she performs in the film Emilia Pérez.
In fact, Emilia Pérez leads the pack with five HMMA nominations overall.
Elton and Celine are both up for music documentary/special program for their films Elton John: Never Too Late and I Am: Celine Dion, while the former is nominated for his song “Never Too Late” from the documentary.
The HMMAs recognize musical achievements in the movies in multiple categories, including documentaries, features, songs, on-screen performances and more.
ABC News has confirmed that two employees of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, where Liam Payne died last month, had their homes searched by police and their cell phones confiscated.
The searches came as police look for the drug dealer they believe is connected to the case. A friend of Liam’s also had their home raided.
The former One Direction star died after falling from his third-floor balcony at the hotel on Oct. 16. He was 31. A toxicology report revealed that multiple substances were found in his system, including “pink cocaine,” a popular but potentially dangerous party drug, as well as benzodiazepine, a class of depressant drugs that includes Xanax and Valium, and crack.
An improvised aluminum foil pipe for ingesting drugs was also found in his hotel room.
Liam’s body is reportedly being flown back to the U.K.; his funeral is expected to take place in his home town of Wolverhampton.
Bing Crosby‘s beloved yuletide song “White Christmas” is getting a new version featuring V from BTS.
“White Christmas (with V of BTS)” arrives just in time for the holiday season on Dec. 6. It comes in partnership with the Bing Crosby Estate, Primary Wave Music and Geffen Records, and arrives after V’s long-standing admiration for Crosby.
“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby. I grew up listening to his song ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol,” V said in a press release. “Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him, and I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”
Mary Crosby, Bing Crosby’s daughter, said that her family is thrilled to have V singing with her father on the song.
“We are incredibly excited about V joining Dad for the duet of ‘White Christmas,'” Harry Crosby, Bing Crosby’s son, added. “We are happy that V will help share the joy of this timeless Christmas song.”
