Thomas Rhett’s dad, Rhett Akins, will officially become a member of the Grand Ole Opry later this year, after Jon Pardi extended the surprise invitation on Sunday.
It came during a special Opry Celebrates ’90s Country show. It’s important to remember that before he became famous as TR’s dad, Akins topped the chart with “That Ain’t My Truck” and “Don’t Get Me Started.”
Of course, he’d go on to write 36 more number ones for other artists, including Pardi’s “Dirt on My Boots.”
“All I do every day is write words and I can’t think of any words right now except, ‘Thank you, Lord Jesus,’” Akins said from the Opry stage.
“I have been listening to the Grand Ole Opry since I was a little kid with my grandparents,” he added. “Anytime they’d ask me to play, if I was in Alaska, I’d fly home immediately. I love country music with all my heart and all I ever wanted to do was meet Hank Jr., meet George Strait. I never dreamed I’d be in this circle right here with Bill Monroe, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Garth, and Alan [Jackson] and Jon Pardi. This is just unbelievable.”
TR was there to witness the moment, reflecting on it later on social media.
“I don’t have many words except for the fact that my dad has had a dream to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry since he was boy,” he said. “He is a country music encyclopedia. … Dad I’m so proud of you. I love you. You deserve this! Can’t wait to celebrate this huge accomplishment.”
Akins will be officially inducted as an Opry member during a special ceremony later this year.
Don Toliver performs onstage during the BET Awards 2026 at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Don Toliver’s Octane tour returned to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for its second night on Monday, where he was joined by surprise guests Ye and Travis Scott.
Ye was the first to take the stage, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. According to setlist.fm, he performed “Runaway” and “Father,” during which Travis made an appearance and was also greeted with a standing ovation. Travis remained onstage as Ye closed his set with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” before he performed “FE!N” twice.
Don’s Octane tour supports his latest album, Octane, and wraps its first leg on July 5 in Denver. The second will begin on Aug. 4 in Sacramento and run through Sept. 6 in Brooklyn. Don will then travel across Europe and the U.K., with those dates kicking off Oct. 25.
Meanwhile, Ye has a few shows planned for 2026, with the next taking place in San Antonio on the Fourth of July.
Travis has one upcoming concert on July 17 at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
“Twisting the Knife” single artwork. (Fearless Records)
Ice Nine Kills has scared up a career-first with “Twisting the Knife.”
The song, which was recorded for the movie Scream 7, has jumped to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It gives the horror-inspired metallers their first-ever leader on the ranking.
Scream 7 actress Mckenna Grace, who’s featured on “Twisting the Knife,” also earns her first #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hit.
Ice Nine Kills previously peaked on Mainstream Rock Airplay at #9 with the songs “A Grave Mistake” and “The Great Unknown.” Frontman Spencer Charnas also hit #1 as a featured artist on the Funeral Portrait song “Suffocate City.”
The most recent INK song is “Play Dead,” which dropped Friday. The track is inspired by the video game Dead by Daylight.
Blake Lively attends ‘Fendi presents the Baguette 26424 Re-Edition’ at the Fendi flagship store in Midtown on May 19, 2026, in New York City. (Aeon/GC Images via Getty Images)
Attorneys for Blake Lively said in a court filing Monday that Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, owes the actress $7,495,526.87 in attorneys fees connected to the studio’s defamation lawsuit against her, which was dismissed in June last year.
According to court documents, which were filed in a federal district court in the Southern District of New York, Lively is also seeking $539,514.01 in costs and expenses incurred in relation to the dismissed defamation case.
The filing comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages against Baldoni and Wayfarer but allowed the actress to seek attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1, a law designed to protect anyone who reports sexual assault, harassment or discrimination from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
Esra Hudson, one of Lively’s lead attorneys in the case, wrote in Monday’s court filing that fees for her work on the case were discounted from her standard rate of $1,430.00 per an hour to $1,161 to $1,287 per hour over the course of the litigation.
Co-lead trial counsel Michael Gottlieb charged an average hourly rate of $2,187, according to the filing.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Baldoni for comment.
In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, Lively’s attorneys, Gottlieb and Hudson, said, “Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so. The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.”
Monday’s filing is the latest in a long-running legal dispute between the former It Ends with Us co-stars, who first became embroiled in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of the film, which he also directed. Lively also accused Baldoni and his production company of attempting to orchestrate a smear campaign against her, allegations Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios have vehemently denied.
The two subsequently launched dueling lawsuits against one another in the months that followed, with Baldoni accusing Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and others of extortion and defamation, among other things. The lawsuits were consolidated into one suit in January 2025.
Baldoni’s lawsuit was ultimately dismissed by Liman in June 2025. The judge later gutted much of Lively’s case against Baldoni in April of this year, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set, determining that she could continue to pursue her claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s public relations team.
Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute in May this year. Liman ruled at the time that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios must pay Lively’s attorneys’ fees but denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages.
Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey arrived back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a nearly four-month absence, and announced on the House floor that he received a depression diagnosis that led to an extended hospital stay.
“Now, when people hear the word ‘depression,’ many people think, simply feel, it means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that,” Kean said. “It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean said he wanted to get back to Congress as quickly as possible, understanding the importance of representing his constituents, but ultimately decided to follow his doctor’s recommendations to stay under their care.
“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recovery, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it. I had responsibilities to my family, I had responsibilities to my constituents, I had responsibilities to this institution, and like many people, I believed that I could simply push through, but I agreed to follow my doctor’s recommendations again, not believing that it would result in a long-term stay,” he said.
Kean has not voted in the House since March 5, missing more than 100 roll call votes during his time away.
The congressman had not publicly addressed the reason for his absence prior to Tuesday, raising questions on his whereabouts.
During his absence, Kean won the Republican primary (where he was unopposed) in his reelection bid and received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Kean will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in November for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a toss-up district Democrats hope to flip.
Kean, on Tuesday, did not answer multiple questions from reporters on why he didn’t communicate with his constituents earlier about his health issues.
In his floor remarks, Kean said he believed he would’ve been back on Capitol Hill in a few weeks, but soon began to realize that there is “no timeline for healing, there is no timeline for recovery, only the work of getting better one day at a time.”
“Today I am grateful that I listened to my doctors. I am grateful for the exceptional care that I received from doctors, nurses, and support staff. I am grateful that I accepted help, because today I stand before you healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love,” he said.
He then thanked his family, staff, constituents, and medical team for their care and understanding, going on to advocate that “asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength.”
“This is not a partisan issue. It touches every community, every family and every corner of this country. If sharing my story encourages even one person to seek help, if it gives one family the courage to have a difficult conversation or reminds one person that recovery is possible, then this moment will have been worthwhile,” he said as he concluded his speech.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
The West Front of U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will decide later this year whether state bans on the possession of AR-15 firearms and similar semi-automatic “assault style” guns violate the Second Amendment.
Ten states plus D.C. ban the weapons, which have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, including Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and Uvalde, Texas.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
More than 80,000 fans turned out to see the final touring show of Alan Jackson’s career Saturday night in Nashville; watch parties on Broadway, at Belmont University and at the Country Music Hall of Fame added to the sold-out crowd at Nissan Stadium.
If you missed it, however, you’ll have your chance to experience it in December as both a TV special and a live album.
“We’re going to have a good time is what we’re going to do!” Alan promised the fans as he kicked off his nearly two-hour set with “Gone Country.”
He’d go on to do two dozen songs, including “Here in the Real World,” “Remember When” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”
George Strait joined Alan onstage for a toast, before launching into their duets, “Designated Drinker” and “Murder on Music Row.”
The historic set closed with “Chattahoochee,” before Alan returned for an encore of “Mercury Blues” and “Where I Come From.”
“This has just been incredible,” he said afterward. “I don’t even have words – it’s just been completely overwhelming.”
The night included nine entertainers of the year aside from Alan, with Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett and Lee Ann Womack all coming together to do the ultimate version of Alan’s hit “Pop a Top” cover.
It’ll air in December as part of Alan Jackson: The Last Show on NBC.
You can preorderAlan Jackson – Last Call: One More For the Road – The Finale (Live from Nashville, TN) now, though both the album artwork and the release date are still being finalized.
Chris Martin of Coldplay performs at Allegiant Stadium on June 06, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A cassette tape containing a demo of Coldplay’s Chris Martin recording a song called “The World is Not Enough” is up for auction.
As you might’ve guessed from the title, Martin recorded the track as an attempt at a theme song for the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, which was released in 1999.
“Presented on an original Parlophone reference cassette, the recording features a stripped-back acoustic guitar and vocal performance by Martin, capturing the song in a raw demo form before any studio production,” the auction site reads. “Unlike the final Bond theme, which was ultimately recorded by Garbage, this version offers a fascinating glimpse into an alternative direction.”
The tape comes from the archives of producer Chris Allison, who worked with Coldplay during their early days.
“To the best of current knowledge, this recording has never been commercially released or publicly circulated, making it one of the most intriguing and potentially significant items within the collection: it is not known if this demo was ever submitted to the film for consideration,” the auction site reads.
The auction is open until July 19 via the site WaxPoetics.com.
Of note, Martin told NME in 2021 that Coldplay has “kept trying to write [a Bond theme] for 20 years, but never submitted them.”
“We have Bond themes for about five movies, but they’re not very good, to be honest,” Martin said.
KISS is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of their historic concerts, releasing it for the first time as a live album.
The band will release KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 on Aug. 21. It’s a recording of their Aug. 20, 1976, Anaheim Stadium show on their The Spirit Of ’76 Tour, aka the Destroyer Tour.
The show had KISS playing in front of over 42,000 fans, their largest audience to date. The recording, taken from the original multitrack tapes, features performances of such iconic KISS tracks as “Detroit Rock City,” “Strutter,” “Black Diamond,” “Rock and Roll All Nite” and more.
Members of the KISS Army are getting a bonus from the band. They can now access exclusive material in connection with the announcement, including soundbites from Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley sharing their memories of the show.
KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 will be released in a variety of formats, including CD, two-LP black vinyl, two-LP picture disc, two-LP color vinyl and digitally. The band has also launched a new merch line in connection with the release.
The cover of Ali Hazelwood’s ‘Love, Theoretically.’ (Berkley)
There’s nothing theoretical about a Love, Theoretically film.
Amazon MGM Studios has landed the movie rights to the novel by bestselling author Ali Hazelwood. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before screenwriter Sofia Alvarez is set to direct the film and adapt Hazelwood’s book into the screenplay. Both Alvarez and Hazelwood will executive produce it.
It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover is set to produce the movie with Lauren Levine, her partner at Heartbones Entertainment. Also producing are Max Siemers and Tanner Anderson for Magic Hour Entertainment.
The upcoming film was confirmed by Magic Hour Entertainment on Monday. The production company made a post to Instagram announcing the project.
“The excitement we have for LOVE, THEORETICALLY is not at all theoretical! We’re incredibly grateful to partner with Amazon MGM Studios and to work again with the brilliant Sofia Alvarez,” the company’s post reads. “It’s a privilege and joy to continue to collaborate with Lauren Levine and Colleen Hoover at Heartbones. Most of all, the film we hope you’ll fall in love with exists because of the immense talent and imagination of Ali Hazelwood.”
The news comes ahead of the release of the film adaptation of Hazelwood’s first novel, The Love Hypothesis. It stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman and will release to Prime Video on Sept. 23.
Love, Theoretically is a romantic comedy that follows rival physicists. It centers around one woman’s double life as both an adjunct professor and a professional fake girlfriend.
