Beck and Phoenix have released a collaborative song ahead of their upcoming co-headlining U.S. tour.
The track is titled “Odyssey” and is described in a press release as an “utterly infectious summer anthem.” You can listen for yourself now via digital outlets.
Beck and Phoenix’s tour, perhaps not coincidentally dubbed the Summer Odyssey tour, launches August 1 in Seattle.
Phoenix will be supporting their 2022 album, Alpha Zulu. Beck hasn’t put out a record since 2019’s Hyperspace, though he dropped a new single called “Thinking About You” in February.
Rod Stewart is shooting down reports of his retirement. In recent interviews, Rod suggested that his upcoming concerts in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 6 and 7 would be “the last” of the rock ‘n’ roll shows, but in a letter posted to Instagram, Stewart insists that’s not the case.
“I’d like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused my dear fans and the media,” he writes. “I shall never retire. I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me.” He also assures fans he will be playing the hits at his upcoming U.K., U.S., South America and Vegas shows, which are set to run into 2024.
Stewart notes that he has said in interviews that his “newest passion is big bang/swing music,” and once he’s done touring the hits, he’s “eager to share” that with fans. But he’s not about to abandon his classics.
“I could never turn my back on the songs that I’ve written and sung over the last six decades,” he says. “They are like my children. I created them and I love them. I’ll always come back to them.” Finally he adds, “I look forward to seeing you on the road with all the hits and I can’t wait to introduce you to my new swing album next year.”
Rod is currently on a tour of the U.K. with Culture Club. His North American tour is set to kick off July 29 in Sparks, Nevada. A complete list of dates can be found at rodstewart.com.
Raymond Douglas Davies, better known as Ray Davies, was born in Fortis Green, London. He and his brother Dave Davies, formed The Kinks in 1963, releasing their self-titled debut in 1964.
The band went on to release 24 albums, including 1966’s Face to Face, 1970’s Lola Versus Powerman and more, with hit songs like 1964’s “You Really Got Me,” which reached the Top 10 in the U.S, and 1970’s “Lola.” Their biggest chart hits included 1965’s “Tired of Waiting For You” and 1983’s “Come Dancing,” which both peaked at #6.
In 1990, Ray Davies and the rest of The Kinks were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was knighted in 2017.
Is Britney Spears beginning to mend her relationship with younger sister Jamie Lynn?
A new Instagram caption from the pop star seems to indicate the two are speaking again.
“It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!!” she wrote. “I’ve missed you guys so much !!! Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family !!!”
On Tuesday, June 20, Jamie Lynn debuted the trailer for Zoey 102, the reboot of her Nickelodeon show Zoey 101, out July 27 on Paramount+. It’s not clear what “set” Britney was referring to.
The caption was attached to an unrelated video of Britney and her husband, Sam Asghari, on vacation. In the clip, she dances on a boat in a pink bikini and Sam gives her a playful smack on the butt.
Britney also wrote in the caption that it was her first vacation with her hubby in a year.
Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images
There’s no doubt Pink Floyd fans would love to see the band members reunite and play the songs they love, but considering the strained relationship between Roger Waters and David Gilmour, drummer and founding member Nick Mason doesn’t suspect that’s going to happen anytime soon. In fact, he can think of only a few things that could possibly get everyone playing together again.
During an appearance on The Story Behind The Song podcast, Mason said “it’s highly unlikely” the band would reunite. But he does acknowledge, “I would’ve said that before Live 8 — 10 years ago or 12 years ago, whatever it was,” referring to their 2005 reunion at Live 8 in London’s Hyde Park.
“The one thing I could think would be possible would be if there was some … if by getting back together we could influence either saving the planet, world peace, or whatever,” Mason says. “Hopefully, we’d step up. But I don’t think otherwise. It would take a Nelson Mandela or someone like that to lead on it.”
Besides 2008, the only other time the three bandmates got back together since their split was in 2011, when Mason and Gilmour joined Waters at the London stop of his tour.
After three years, Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers have reached a divorce settlement, according to Entertainment Tonight.
The Declaration of Default, obtained by the outlet, states “the parties have entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage or domestic partnership rights, including support, the original of which is being or has been submitted to the court” and that the pair are asking “the court [to] approve the agreement.”
The estranged couple, who have two children, 5-year-old daughter Harper Grace and 3-year-old son Ford Douglas Armand, tied the knot in 2010, before Chambers filed for divorce in in 2020 citing irreconcilable differences.
“Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners and then parents. It has been an incredible journey, but together, we’ve decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage,” the former couple shared in a joint statement, adding “As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority.”
In 2021, sexual assault allegations surfaced against Hammer, with Chambers saying at the time that she was “shocked, heartbroken, and devastated.”
File image of the Titan submersible prior to commence diving. (Ocean Gate)
(NEW YORK) — A submersible carrying five people has gone missing while on a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The deep-sea vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning with a 96-hour oxygen supply. The United States Coast Guard, in coordination with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces, immediately launched a search and rescue operation for the 21-foot sealed craft, named Titan.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 21, 9:00 AM EDT
Would-be crew member of missing sub speaks out
Digital marketing tycoon Chris Brown originally planned to go on Sunday’s submersible tour of the Titanic wreckage but withdrew due to safety concerns. His friend, Hamish Harding, is among those aboard the missing vessel.
Brown, who described himself as a “modern day adventurer,” admitted that he knew “very little” about the tour operator, OceanGate Expeditions, prior to signing up. But he said the deep-sea trip initially sounded “like a great idea.”
“The Titanic’s obviously an iconic wreck,” Brown told ABC News’ Michael Strahan during an interview Wednesday on Good Morning America.
“OceanGate had put forward this program to go down and do a 3D scan of the wreck,” he added. “So it’s a chance for an expedition, exploration and adding a bit of science into the situation.”
Brown said safety concerns ultimately led him to pull out of the trip, but he declined to go into detail.
“I’m not really sure that this is the time to be going into that sort of thing,” he added. “I think that the focus right now has to be on trying to rescue these people. It’s not fair on the families and friends to be making speculation about what might’ve happened or how it happened at this point.”
Brown said he feels “no” apprehension about joining similar projects in the future but noted that it’s important to “think about all the risks.”
“If you don’t have an appetite for those risks, then you might not go ahead,” he said. “You may try and mitigate those by bringing in some expertise from outside. You might have other risks or dangers that could be mitigated by changing the time of when you go out there.”
Jun 21, 7:33 AM EDT
New details emerge about how the missing sub navigated the ocean
The submersible that was reported missing while on a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Titanic is an unorthodox vessel with a relatively unproven history, according to company press materials and experts familiar with underwater vehicles.
News of the vessel’s disappearance prompted a flurry of interest in the company OceanGate Expeditions and its deep-sea submersible called the Titan.
The company’s founder and CEO, Stockton Rush, who is one of the five people aboard the missing vessel, manned the Titan’s first “validation dive” to 4,000 meters in 2018, according to the company. The company then began offering tourists the opportunity to dive to the depths of the Titanic in the following years, selling tickets for the 2023 journey for $250,000.
Jun 21, 6:57 AM EDT
‘Banging’ picked up by sonar in search area, source says
A source familiar confirmed to ABC News that there were reports of “banging” that were picked up by sonar in the search area on Tuesday morning, but nothing has yet been found.
The U.S. Coast Guard had said early Wednesday that an aircraft with sonar capability “detected underwater noises in the search area,” but remotely operated vehicles were unable to find the origin of the sound.
Jun 21, 6:34 AM EDT
Titanic mapping company ‘fully mobilized’ to help
Magellan, an international exploration company that digitally mapped the Titanic wreckage last year, said Wednesday that it is “ready to support” the search for the missing submersible and is “fully mobilized to help.”
The U.K.-based company told ABC News that it was contacted by the submersible’s operator, OceanGate Expeditions, early Monday and “immediately offered our knowledge of the specific site and also our expertise operating at depth considerably in advance of what is required for this incident.”
“We have been working full-time with U.K. and U.S. agencies to secure the necessary air support to move our specialist equipment and support crew,” Magellan said in a statement.
When asked for comment about media reports that U.S. authorities have failed to give Magellan the necessary permits to participate in the search, the company told ABC News it “does not not wish to comment on any specific media report.”
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
USCG: Canadian aircraft detected ‘underwater noises’ but search ‘yielded negative results’
“Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area,” the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted early Wednesday morning. “As a result, ROV operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises. Those ROV searches have yielded negative results but continue.”
The data from the P-3 has been shared with U.S. Navy experts for further analysis, the Coast Guard added.
Jun 21, 12:34 AM EDT
Lawsuit alleged flaws with Titanic sub now missing
A former employee of OceanGate alleged in a 2018 counterclaim lawsuit that he was fired for raising concerns about quality control and testing of potential flaws in the same experimental submersible that went missing this week.
David Lochridge, an engineer and submarine pilot, claimed in his counterclaim against OceanGate that he was hired in 2015 by the Everett, Washington, company to ensure the safety of all crew and clients during the submersible and surface operations of the vessel called Titan. But when he expressed concerns about the design and testing of the minisub’s hull, he said he was terminated by the company.
OceanGate had initially sued Lochridge alleging, among other things, breach of contract, fraud and misappropriation of trade secrets — all claims he denied.
In its lawsuit, OceanGate accused Lochridge of breaching his contract by discussing the company’s confidential information with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration “when he filed a false report claiming that he was discharged in retaliation for being a whistleblower.”
Jun 20, 10:15 PM EDT
Latest Coast Guard bulletin spells out timeline for missing sub search
The U.S. Coast Guard sent out its latest release Tuesday night on the search for the missing submersible at the Titanic crash site.
According to the latest release:
Sunday, June 18, 8 a.m. ET: Submersible launches, supposed to resurface at 3 p.m., but an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, it loses contact.
Sunday, June 18, 5:40 p.m. ET: Coast Guard receives report of overdue submersible.
Monday, June 19: Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and C-130 Hercules aircraft, as well as a Canadian P8 aircraft equipped with underwater sonar capability, search for the missing submersible, according to a previous release.
Tuesday, June 20, 7 a.m. ET: Bahamian research vessel Deep Energy arrives.
Tuesday, June 20, 4 p.m. ET: C-130 crew from Air National Guard 106th arrives.
Jun 20, 8:33 PM EDT
Experts expressed Titan safety concerns in 2018 letter
Members of a committee specializing in submersibles expressed “unanimous concern regarding the development” of Titan in a 2018 letter addressed to OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is one of the passengers aboard the missing vessel.
The letter was obtained by The New York Times and was later authenticated by ABC News.
The letter warned of possible “catastrophic” problems with Titan’s development that could have “serious consequences for everyone in the industry.” The letter goes on to say that OceanGate’s safety claims were “misleading to the public” and insisted Titan be reviewed by a third-party organization.
The letter, which was addressed from the Marine Technology Society, was never approved to be sent to OceanGate though was quickly leaked to its CEO, according to committee chair William Kohnen.
“The letter did represent in 2018 the consensus by many people in the industry that they were not considering following the standard safety protocols and designs that the industry uses,” Kohnen told ABC News.
Though he wishes it was not leaked at the time, nor now to The New York Times, Kohnen said he stands by the letter and its warnings.
“The company had indicated that their state of innovation was beyond, beyond what was allowable within the regulatory standards we have today and that they would proceed without certification,” Kohnen said. “That worried a number of people in the industry.”
Kohnen acknowledged that OceanGate did “heed” some of the comments made in the 2018 letter.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile and Victor Ordoñez
Jun 20, 6:02 PM EDT
NASA weighs in on missing submersible
NASA released a statement Tuesday on the Titan, saying it remains “hopeful the crew will be found unharmed.”
“NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center had a Space Act Agreement with OceanGate, and consulted on materials and manufacturing processes for the submersible. NASA did not conduct testing and manufacturing via its workforce or facilities,” the agency said.
-ABC News’ Gina Sunseri
Jun 20, 6:17 PM EDT
Search teams have covered 7,600 square miles
Search and rescue teams have now covered 7,600 square miles — an area bigger than the state of Connecticut — as they scour the ocean for the missing submersible, Coast Guard officials said.
A grid depicting the expanding search area is expected Tuesday night, according to a public information affairs lieutenant for the First District of the U.S. Coast Guard.
-ABC News’ Miles Cohen
Jun 20, 3:09 PM EDT
US Navy sending salvage experts, equipment to help with submersible
The U.S. Navy said it’s sending to the search site experts and equipment “designed to provide reliable deep ocean lifting capacity for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy undersea objects.”
The equipment, which can lift up to 60,000 pounds, and the experts will arrive in Canada Tuesday night, the Navy said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Tuesday that the Navy was”on standby” to help with the search for the missing submersible, because the Navy has “some deep-water capabilities that the Coast Guard wouldn’t necessarily have.”
President Joe Biden is “watching events closely,” Kirby said, adding that Biden and the White House offer their thoughts “to the crew onboard, as well as to the — what is no doubt — worried family members back on shore.”
Jun 20, 1:24 PM EDT
3 Air Force C-17’s transporting equipment to Newfoundland
Three U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft will be transporting commercial equipment from Buffalo, New York, to Newfoundland, Canada, to help with the search efforts, according to a U.S. official.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Jun 20, 1:16 PM EDT
Search area larger than Connecticut, about 41 hours of oxygen left
Efforts to locate the missing submersible are ongoing, and the “complex” search covers an area larger than the state of Connecticut, Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said at a news conference Tuesday.
Crews are scouring the ocean 900 miles east of Cape Cod and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Canada, he said.
The missing five-person crew on the submersible has about 41 hours of oxygen left, Frederick noted.
“We will do everything in our power to effect a rescue,” Frederick said.
“We have a group of our nation’s best experts,” he said, and once the sub is located, “those experts will be looking at what the next course of action is” to rescue the crew members.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew and their families and their loved ones,” Frederick added.
Jun 20, 12:58 PM EDT
Former ABC News correspondent recounts moment his sub was trapped in Titanic’s propeller
In 2000, Dr. Michael Guillen, then an ABC News correspondent, was filming from the wreck of the Titanic when his vessel became trapped in the propeller.
“When we collided with the propeller, and I started seeing those big chunks of metal raining down on us … the first reaction I had was, ‘This can’t be happening,'” he recalled to ABC News on Tuesday.
“We got caught by this underwater turn and just drove us right into the blades,” Guillen said.
“This voice came into my head and said, you know, ‘This is how it’s going to end for you,'” he recalled. “I’ll never forget those words.”
“I’m very aware of what these poor souls on board the ship the Titan are experiencing,” he said. “I am just heartbroken about it.”
Jun 20, 11:35 AM EDT
French sending assistance
At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, a French ship named Atalante is diverting to the area of the missing submissive and should reach the area Wednesday night.
The ship has an exploration robot that can dive up to 4,000 meters, according to a spokesman for France’s Ifremer Institute.
Jun 20, 9:04 AM EDT
‘It’s a race against time’
Per Wimmer, an explorer and global financier, told ABC News he was “shocked” and “horrified” to hear of the missing submersible.
“It felt very personal. … I’ve been wanting to go down to the Titanic for more than a decade,” Wimmer said.
He estimated that there’s been between 150 and 200 missions to the Titanic.
There “are very, very few submersibles in the whole world that can go down to the depth of Titanic, which sits at 3,800 meters, or about 12,000 feet,” Wimmer said. “It’s very deep — most submersibles can go down to about 1,000 meters.”
“It’s a race against time, because there’s only 96 hours of oxygen on board. And after that, if you haven’t reached the surface, you starve of oxygen,” he said.
“Our best hope at the moment is that the safety mechanism will be activated,” he said. “It is supposed to be able to float to the surface, little by little, and then they can open the hatch and hopefully get out again. That is the only hope we have, because you do not have enough time to get another submersible that can go that deep.”
Jun 20, 8:19 AM EDT
What to know about the 5 people aboard the missing sub
Renowned explorers and a father-son duo were among the five people aboard a submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday while touring the Titanic wreckage, ABC News has learned.
ABC News has confirmed and identified four of those on aboard as Hamish Harding, a British businessman, pilot and space tourist; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver and Titanic expert; Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman, and his son Suleman Dawood.
Jun 20, 7:48 AM EDT
US Coast Guard commander talks search for missing sub
The United States Coast Guard commander leading the search for a missing submersible off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, said Tuesday morning that crews in multiple aircraft have flown over an area of the Atlantic Ocean “roughly about the size of Connecticut” while “looking for any signs of surfacing.”
“As we continue on with the search, we’re expanding our capabilities to be able to search under the water as well,” Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, told ABC News’ Robin Roberts during an interview on Good Morning America.
A commercial vessel with remotely operated vehicles is now on scene that will allow rescuers to search underwater, according to Mauger.
“This is a complex case,” he added. “The Coast Guard doesn’t have all the resources to be able to affect this kind of rescue, although this is an area that’s within our search zone.”
In many cases, Mauger said, the Coast Guard’s role is to coordinate all of the assets and technical expertise that can be used in a search, in addition to operating aircraft or ships when necessary.
“In this particular case, we’ve established a unified command with the United States Navy, with the Canadian Armed Forces, with the Canadian Coast Guard and with the private operator OceanGate Expeditions to make sure that we understand what’s needed and deploy all available equipment to the scene that could be used to locate this submersible, whether it’s on the surface or down beneath the surface,” he said.
Crews have been working “around the clock” to locate the deep-sea vessel since it lost contact with its operator on Sunday morning, according to Mauger.
In the last 24 hours, a Canadian aircraft has been dropping sonar buoys into the water that can pick up sound the submersible may be emitting. Vessels that have the capability to listen with their own sonar equipment are also on scene, according to Mauger.
“If they are making sound, that’s certainly one of the ways that we’re going to use to locate them,” he said.
Jun 20, 6:18 AM EDT
Missing sub is believed to be deeper than NATO rescue capability
A tourist submersible that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday is believed to be at depths that greatly exceed the capabilities of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), according to a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.
“As the host nation for NATO’s multinational submarine rescue capability, we continue to monitor the incident in the North Atlantic and will guide and assist in any response activity as appropriate,” the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday.
The U.K. has not been approached to offer assistance in the ongoing search for the deep-sea vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, according to the spokesperson.
Initial reports indicate that the depths of water involved greatly exceed that which the NSRS team can safely operate — 610 meters for the NSRS submersible and 1,000 meters for the NSRS remotely operated vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
The NSRS is based at the home of the U.K. Royal Navy Submarine Service in HM Naval Base Clyde, the U.K. Royal Navy’s headquarters in Scotland. Introduced in 2006, the tri-national capability team can respond to a stricken submarine in rescuable water which is capable of mating with the NSRS submarine rescue vehicle, according to the spokesperson.
Jun 20, 5:03 AM EDT
Former Navy sub captain on rescue options
Rescuers racing against the clock to save the five people trapped in a tourist submersible nearly two miles deep in the Atlantic Ocean are facing major obstacles that could make saving the people onboard extremely difficult, according to a former U.S. Navy submarine commander.
Retired Capt. David Marquet told ABC News on Monday that this type of rescue operation is complicated because there aren’t nearby U.S. or Canadian underwater vessels that can go as deep as the Titanic wreckage, which sits 13,400 feet below the ocean’s surface. Also, the ocean is pitch black at that depth.
“The odds are against them,” Marquet said. “There’s a ship in Boston that has this ability to either lower cable and connect to it or have a claw. It’s still a thousand miles away.”
Even if a vessel was able to locate the submersible and lower a cable, it’s extremely difficult to safely navigate the waters and attach it, according to Marquet.
“You’ve got to get it exactly right,” he told ABC News. “It’s sort of like … getting one of those toys out of those arcade machines. In general, you miss.”
Rescuers do have one advantage, Marquet said, as weather conditions off the coast of Newfoundland are not rough and will not disturb any boat or vessel there.
Marquet added that if the five people aboard are still alive, they would be asked to sleep to conserve their oxygen.
“We would put the vast majority of the crew to sleep because that’s when you’re using the least amount of oxygen and you’re expelling the least amount of carbon dioxide,” he said.
Jun 20, 4:27 AM EDT
What to know about the missing sub
A submersible on a tour of the Titanic wreckage was reported overdue by its operator OceanGate Expeditions on Sunday, prompting the United States Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue effort for the 22-foot, 23,000-pound vessel.
Designed with life support to sustain five crew members for 96 hours, the submersible would need to be rescued in three days to save its five passengers, according to the Coast Guard.
Stockton Rush founded Washington-based OceanGate in 2009 to make deep-sea exploration more accessible to scientists and tourists. Fourteen years, more than 200 dives and three submersible designs later, the company now finds itself in a desperate search to recover the submersible carrying five people aboard that’s gone missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
OceanGate confirmed Monday it had lost contact with a submersible, saying in a statement: “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
Downton Abbey alum Dan Stevens has joined the cast of Hulu’s Solar Opposites‘ fourth season as the new voice of grouchy alien Korvo, replacing series co-creator Justin Roiland who was ousted from the show amid domestic violence charges against him that were later dismissed. The streamer promises the upcoming season will “pack up the sci-fi and get normal … for a second. Then it’s back to classic Solar chaos, mayhem in the Wall, and some all new Silvercops adventures!” The voice cast also includes Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone and Mary Mack. Solar Opposites season 4 will premiere August 14 on Hulu with 11 episodes, followed by a Valentine’s Day special coming in 2024…
Ryan Murphy may be heading to Disney when his five-year deal with Netflix made back in 2018 comes to an end, according to Deadline. The Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Watcher creator and Disney are still in the talking stages, but the potential move would reunite him with his former 20th Century boss Dana Walden, who is now Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, as well as reunite FX Chairman John Landgraf, who greenlit his series American Horror Story and its spinoffs, as well as Feud and Pose. Murphy still has projects with Netflix, including a second season of Monster, centering on Lyle and Erik Menendez, and a second season of The Watcher. Disney is the parent company of ABC News…
Paramount+ has ordered a second season of School Spirits, its teen mystery starring Cobra Kai‘s Peyton List as Maddie, a student who dies at her school and investigates her murder in the afterlife. The streamer reports the eight-episode premiere season, which debuted earlier this year, ranked as the top YA series on the service during its run. Coming off season 1’s major cliffhanger, season 2 will go into production in 2024 and premiere at a later date exclusively on Paramount+…
Following Universal Pictures’ announcement in March that its adaptation of the hit Broadway play Wicked will fly into theaters Thanksgiving 2024 — a month earlier than expected — the studio has announced that Wicked Part Two — originally set to bow on Christmas 2025 — will now hit theaters November 26, 2025. Jon M. Chu is directing both films with Cynthia Erivo set to play Elphaba and Ariana Grande on board to play Glinda. The movies are based on the 2003 Wicked Broadway musical, which originally starred Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. The musical, in turn, was based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire…
(NEW YORK) — The San Antonio Spurs are set to make a historic selection with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2023 NBA draft on Thursday by adding 7-foot-3 French prospect Victor Wembanyama to their roster.
The 19-year-old Le Chesnay native and basketball phenom is one of the most highly anticipated draft prospects in decades and all-but-certain to go as the draft’s top pick. Many sports insiders — including four-time NBA champion LeBron James — have hailed Wembanyama as ” a generational talent” — the best since James himself in 2003.
ABC News’ Robin Roberts met with Wembanyama for Good Morning America ahead of the draft at one of his favorite cafes, the famed Café De La Jatte, situated on the Île-de-la-Jatte in a posh suburb of Paris, as the world awaits his league debut.
“It’s an event that I’ve been waiting for and I’ve been thinking about for the last years,” Wembanyama said, adding how special it is for his whole family. “Our life is gonna change from one day to another — for sure one of the most important nights in my life.”
Wembanyama told GMA over plates of truffle pizza, calamari and truffle pasta that he has eagerly trained his entire life for this moment.
“I gotta eat whenever I can. Before practice, after practice, before I go to bed, after waking up, before the nap, after the nap,” Wembanyama, who is looking to add weight to his lanky frame, told Roberts.
Wembanyama, who played for Metropolitans 92 in the top French basketball league, is instantly recognized for his height and wingspan, but plays more like a guard.
“Ever since I touched a basketball, you know? I’ve never stopped,” he said. “I’ve always practiced to play the way I play today — that play style, that agility, that dexterity.”
Wemby, as he has been nicknamed by announcers, commentators and fans alike, has gained international attention from other NBA greats who have related to his journey to the league, including Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and James, the league’s all-time leading scorer.
When asked by Roberts how he deals with the pressure of it all, Wemby said, “The most important thing for this is to have your goal in sight.”
“I have such high expectations for myself. And I’m so determined that the expectations of others are nothing compared to — what I expect of myself,” he said.
ESPN reported that his athletic trainer, Guillaume Alquier, manually records Wemby’s sleep schedule, aiming for the athlete to ideally log 10 hours a day.
Wembanyama has a strict training and recovery regimen on and off the court, which includes his pregame warm-ups of mobility and strengthening drills for injury prevention, like one that focuses solely on his feet.
“Having your feet actually connected to the ground is really important as a basketball player,” he said, explaining that “it gets the feet stronger.”
“If your feet are strong. You can then get better on every other aspect of your body,” he added.
When it comes to any critics who have raised concerns about Wembanyama’s readiness for the grueling NBA schedule, he countered, “They don’t know my work ethic.”
“I know how I work, how we work — with my surroundings, with my environment, you know — I could never have any doubt,” he said confidently.
As for how some have assessed his build, suggesting Wemby needs to “bulk up,” he retorted “Why?” with a laugh.
“What for? You should tell others to skinny up,” he joked.
Wembanyama was born to very athletic parents; his mom is a former basketball player and little league coach and his dad is a former competitive long jumper.
“The first thing people think about — when they think about my family — is that they were also sports players. But the thing is, they didn’t really interfere with my sport. They let me be how I wanted to be,” he said.
“They made a lot of sacrifices,” but “on the other hand — they’re gonna be able to retire early,” he said with a laugh alluding to his future NBA success.
As for NBA draft night, Wembanyama said he expects to feel “so high on emotions.”
“It’s really special for me and my family. Our life is gonna change from one day to another,” he said. “I also want to enjoy my country, my family and my friends as much as I can before I leave.”
Before he enters the next arena of his career, Wembanyama is soaking up the everyday culture around his home country.
Last summer, when Wembanyama visited the U.S., he said, “I only spoke English all day — and night I call my family on the phone and I can finally speak French, and it’s like, it’s really relieving. I gotta think about every sentence before I speak them out.”
His English is a product of his deep-seated vision to be standing in this position.
“I’ve wanted to be an NBA player for many years. So you know, I have no choice,” he said of how he learned English. “At some point if you wanna learn a new language, you gotta act like you already know the language.”
As for other nuanced differences from his hometown to the states, Wembanyama said he plans to “find a way to bring some European, French food back over there.”
The French athlete, who is soon to be catapulted to American basketball fame, said he has already visualized what it must be like to play against the world’s greats.
“The most important is to not step on the court being too humble,” he said of his mentality for the next professional chapter. “You gotta be humble enough — to be able to respect the game — but if you step on a court too humble and scared, you can’t do anything.”
Finally, when asked if he can picture himself on that court, he answered with a confident grin, “Of course.”
The NBA draft is Thursday at 8 P.M. Eastern on ABC and ESPN.
(LONDON) — A Delta Airlines pilot has been arrested in Scotland for allegedly being over the alcohol limit, known as the “Drink-Fly” limit, police said.
Lawrence Russell Jr., 62, was charged under the Section 93 of the Railways and Transportation Safety Act and appeared on Monday afternoon at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court, according to the court. He had been arrested at about 10 a.m. Friday at Edinburgh Airport, a Police Scotland spokesperson told ABC News.
Russell made no plea to the charge and has been remanded in custody, “committed for further examination,” a Police Scotland spokesperson told ABC News.
Russell is expected to appear in court again “within the next eight days,” the court’s press office told ABC News.
Russell was scheduled to be the pilot of Delta flight DL209, which was bound for New York’s JFK airport, from Edinburgh, Scotland, Delta said. The EDI-JFK flight was subsequently cancelled, with alternative flights provided to customers, the airline said.
In a statement, Delta said: “Delta confirms that one of its crew was taken into custody this morning at EDI Airport. Delta is assisting the authorities with their ongoing enquiries … we apologise to customers impacted by the cancellation.”
According to the U.K. Railways and Transport Safety Act, a person commits an offense if “he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.”
In the case of breath, the prescribed limit is 9 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters, and 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters in the case of blood, according to the Act.
Delta pilot Gabriel Lyle Schroeder was arrested in Sept. 2019 at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport for allegedly attempting to fly while intoxicated, police said at the time.
In a statement sent to ABC News, Delta said its alcohol policy is “among the strictest in the industry” and that the company is “cooperating with local authorities” as they investigate in Scotland.
