Kim Kardashian joining ‘American Horror Story’ for season 12

Kim Kardashian joining ‘American Horror Story’ for season 12
Kim Kardashian joining ‘American Horror Story’ for season 12
Hulu

Kim Kardashian had a different kind of update to her Instagram account on Monday: She announced she’s joining the FX anthology series American Horror Story for season 12. 

ABC Audio has confirmed the news, and that season 9 vet Emma Roberts will return for this season. According to The Kardashians star’s tease, season 12’s subtitled “Delicate” — a reference to its apparent source material, Danielle Valentine‘s novel Delicate Condition.

Amazon’s description of the book, due out August 1, calls it a “gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens — while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says.”

Series creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter, “Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family. Emma and I are excited about collaborating with this true force in the culture.” 

Says Murphy of the season’s scribe, “Halley Feiffer has written a fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role especially for Kim, and this season is ambitious and unlike anything we have ever done.”

According to the trade, Murphy was impressed with Kim’s acting chops during her appearance as host of Saturday Night Live back in 2021.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Report: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn simply “grew apart”

Report: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn simply “grew apart”
Report: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn simply “grew apart”
Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Though they kept their relationship private, Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn always seemed happy together — and even got along well enough to write a bunch of songs together. But People magazine is now quoting sources as saying that the two “grew apart.”

A source close to the couple tells People that “differences in their personalities” are to blame for the split, adding that they “weren’t the right fit for one another.” As for why it took them six years to figure this out, apparently it’s because Joe and Taylor fell in love while she was out of the spotlight prior to Reputation, so they were “in a bubble.”

“Then the pandemic hit, and they were locked down together and able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way,” claims the source. “But he didn’t really ‘know’ her yet outside of that bubble.”

Ultimately, the source says, “Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run.” The split was “not dramatic,” the source adds, noting, “They are friendly. She doesn’t have anything bad to say about Joe. They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now.”

Indeed, Taylor doesn’t exactly have a lot of time to date at the moment: Not only is the Eras Tour underway, she’s still working on rerecording her back catalog.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Donda Academy teacher claims students are behind after filing lawsuit against the school

Former Donda Academy teacher claims students are behind after filing lawsuit against the school
Former Donda Academy teacher claims students are behind after filing lawsuit against the school
MEGA/GC Images

Former Donda Academy teacher Cecilia Hailey is speaking out about the treatment of children at the school. In an interview with TMZ, she issued a warning to students’ parents about the various things they should know.

“They need to be aware that their children are behind,” Hailey said. “And that they need to consider that it’s going to be very hard for them to be able to transfer their kids out of that school next year or later because there are no grades, which I think they know of, and they can’t get transcripts and they’re not getting what they need. They absolutely are not getting what they need. The kids are being suppressed because of all the constant changes that go on at the school.”

Hailey had been teaching at Donda Academy since last year, but she and daughter Chekarey Byers, who was hired in January, were fired in March 2023. In a recent lawsuit, the women claim they were discriminated against as the only two Black female teachers in the school. They believe they were terminated in retaliation for reporting health and safety violations, as well as lack of disciplinary procedures for bullying and assaults, lack of security, teachers who were not trained to provide basic life support and more.

The women say their complaints were consistently ignored by the school director and they were called “aggressive.” The suit adds when Hailey tried to bring the issues to Kanye West‘s attention, “she was threatened not to reach out to him.”

With the lawsuit, Hailey and Byers want to hold West and Donda Academy liable for their termination and discrimination. They’re also hoping to be compensated, as they claim their paychecks were “untimely or inaccurate.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Slip on George Strait’s new Justin boat shoes

Slip on George Strait’s new Justin boat shoes
Slip on George Strait’s new Justin boat shoes
Jason Kempin / Staff

George Strait has teamed up with Justin Boots to launch a new pair of boat shoes as part of the George Strait Collection.

Priced at $99.95, the Angler Slip-On Casual Shoe marries George’s longtime love for fishing and the beach. Available in cigar brown color, the shoe is made of water-friendly cowhide leather with mesh embellishments, making it both stylish and cozy to use in the water and on the coast.

The new boat shoes from the George Strait by Justin collection are available for purchase now on the Justin Boots website and at select retailers. A portion of each purchase will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, which supports injured rodeo athletes and their families.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a pair to use the next time you’re enjoying the saltwater in the “Clear Blue Sky.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ABBA pays tribute to longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at 70

ABBA pays tribute to longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at 70
ABBA pays tribute to longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at 70
Gus Stewart/Redferns

The members of ABBA have taken to social media to pay tribute to their longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at the age of 70 on Friday, April 7.

“Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy, and a superb guitarist,” read a joint statement posted to Instagram by ABBA members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. “The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock-solid guitar work on stage was immense.” 

They add, “We mourn his tragic and premature death and remember the kind words, the sense of humour, the smiling face, the musical brilliance of the man who played such an integral role in the ABBA story. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.”

News of Wellander’s death was first announced by his family in a Facebook post. “It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep,” they write. “Lasse recently fell ill in what turned out to be spread cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away, surrounded by his loved ones.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘PLAY’time is over: Katy Perry announces Las Vegas residency will end in November

‘PLAY’time is over: Katy Perry announces Las Vegas residency will end in November
‘PLAY’time is over: Katy Perry announces Las Vegas residency will end in November
Christine Hahn/Resorts World Las Vegas/Concerts West/AEG Presents

Looks like Katy Perry won’t be extending her Las Vegas residency after all.

When she played her 50th performance of PLAY over the weekend at Resorts World, Katy told the crowd that she was “halfway-ish” through the run. Since there were only 20 shows on the schedule, it seemed she was hinting that she’d extend the show into next year. However, that’s not the case.

Katy has just announced the 10 final performances, which will run from October 4 through November 4. Tickets go on sale April 14 at 10 a.m. PST. In a statement, she says, “It’s bittersweet to announce the FINAL 10 shows of PLAY ever, but I am so excited to continue bringing this larger than life spectacle through my last date on November 4.”

Since the show debuted in December 2021, it’s been a big hit, winning the Best Strip Headliner title from Best of Las Vegas last year.

The dates going on sale are:

October: 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 31

November: 1, 3, 4

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Russell Crowe admits to being “slightly jealous” he’s not in the ‘Gladiator’ sequel

Russell Crowe admits to being “slightly jealous” he’s not in the ‘Gladiator’ sequel
Russell Crowe admits to being “slightly jealous” he’s not in the ‘Gladiator’ sequel
Dan Peled/Getty Images

As director Ridley Scott prepares his sequel to his Oscar-winning film Gladiator, the original’s star seems to admit he wishes he could re-enter the arena.

In a chat with Collider, The Pope’s Exorcist star Russell Crowe, who won an Academy Award for playing Roman Army General-turned gladiatorial champion Maximus Decimis Meridias in the original film, was asked what he thought of the sequel project.

“I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know?” he admitted. “Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life. It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible.”

Crowe continued, “Here it is, it’s 2023, and we made that film in 1999. I guarantee you, somewhere around the world tonight, Gladiator is going to be showing on primetime TV. And you don’t always get that kind of longevity with every film you do, so, it obviously holds a special place in my heart.”

Recent Oscar nominee Paul Mescal is Ridley’s star this time around, reportedly playing a now-grown Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen‘s Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix‘s murderous Emperor Commodus in the original film. In Gladiator, the character was just a boy, played by Unbreakable and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran Spencer Treat Clark.

The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Barry Keoghan is apparently also circling a role in the Gladiator sequel, which is set for a November 22, 2024, release.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Carrie Underwood to celebrate her 15th anniversary as an Opry member

Carrie Underwood to celebrate her 15th anniversary as an Opry member
Carrie Underwood to celebrate her 15th anniversary as an Opry member

Carrie Underwood will return to the Grand Ole Opry stage on Saturday, May 13, to celebrate her 15th anniversary of becoming an Opry member.

The “Jesus, Take the Wheel” hitmaker will perform two shows that night, with artists such as Deana Carter and Michael Ray joining her on the performance bill.

Carrie made her Opry debut on June 10, 2005 and became inducted as a member on May 8, 2008, by fellow Oklahoman and Opry member, Garth Brooks.

Tickets to Carrie’s celebration shows are available now at opry.com and (615) 871-OPRY. 

Fans who are unable to join in person can watch a one-hour portion of the night’s first show live on Circle Television at 8 p.m. CT, with a re-airing at 11 p.m. CT. The show will also livestream on Circle’s social media channels and broadcast on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse Channel 59 and WSM Radio.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump lawyers appeal order for Pence to testify in special counsel’s Jan. 6 probe: Sources

Trump lawyers appeal order for Pence to testify in special counsel’s Jan. 6 probe: Sources
Trump lawyers appeal order for Pence to testify in special counsel’s Jan. 6 probe: Sources
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys are appealing an order for former Vice President Mike Pence to testify before the special counsel investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the matter confirm to ABC News.

Trump has previously sought to assert executive privilege in an attempt to block Pence’s testimony, but late last month the chief judge for the D.C. district court, James Boasberg, rejected his team’s arguments and ordered Pence to testify and provide records to special counsel Jack Smith.

Boasberg, however, did narrowly uphold parts of a separate legal challenge brought by Pence himself, who argued he should be shielded from having to testify on certain aspects related to his role as president of the Senate overseeing the certification of the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pence was subpoenaed by the special counsel in February, following months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Pence’s legal team.

Pence said last week he would not seek further appeal, though said he was unsure whether Trump’s team would continue their own fight to prevent his testimony and bring their executive privilege claims before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The appeal was formally docketed Monday before the D.C. Circuit, court records show, though other details surrounding it will remain under seal due to its connection to grand jury matters.

In previous instances where Trump’s team has sought intervention from the D.C. Circuit, judges there have acted swiftly to order legal briefs from his team and the special counsel before rejecting his legal challenges.

A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment to ABC News.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, dies at age 69

Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, dies at age 69
Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, dies at age 69
Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Ian Bairnson, a guitarist best known for his work with Alan Parsons Project, passed away Friday at the age of 69. His death was confirmed on social media by his wife, Leila, who wrote, “Ian was the sweetest, kindest, loving husband I could ever have wished for and I take comfort that he is resting now up there in his very own piece of ‘Blue Blue Sky’.”

Alan Parsons paid tribute to the musician on Facebook, sharing, “It was a great pleasure to have him participate on every album by The Alan Parsons Project and several other albums under my name since.” He also shared a few memories of Bairnson, including the fact that he talked Parsons into not scraping what turned out to be one of his biggest hits, “Eye in the Sky.”

Parsons adds, “He was a true master of the guitar – he knew every possible playable guitar chord and how to describe it,” noting, “Ian will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”

In addition to the Alan Parsons Project, Bairnson was a member of the Scottish band Pilot and played guitar on several of Kate Bush’s albums, having a notable guitar solo on her 1978 debut single, “Wuthering Heights.” As a session musician he worked with such artists as Mick FleetwoodJon Anderson and Neil Diamond. He played live with Sting, Eric Clapton and many more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.