Power Book II: Ghost marked the biggest premiere weekend yet for its network, Starz. The season 3 premiere garnered 5.8 million views — a 30% increase over season 2’s November 2021 debut.
Ghost returned March 17, introducing fans to a new set of problems that arise for Tariq, Brayden and the Tejada family following Zeke’s death.
Brayden, still enamored with the drug game, is once again forced to choose between Tariq and his birth family.
“I feel like Brayden, early in Power, was like, ‘I just wanna be like this kid, he’s cool and … I have this family who doesn’t let me do anything I want to do,'” Gianni Paolo tells ABC Audio. “He just sees who Tariq is, he’s a good person, he’s … his best friend and … that’s kinda who he gels towards more this season than his actual family.”
Tariq continues to find himself deeper in the game, despite previous desires to leave, and reunite with his mother and sister.
“Tariq is pretty happy about Yazmin and Tasha being back together, but he wants to be able to be with his family, as well,” Michael Rainey Jr. says. “He’s … fighting the want to be with his family fully but also remembering that he’s not the safest person to be around, so he gotta make sure that his family’s completely good.”
Tariq’s also still battling comparisons drawn between him and his late father, James St. Patrick. “He plays the line of not wanting to be like his father, and then he plays the line of wanting to be like his father,” Michael adds. “He’s still fighting it but he’s also coming to a place that maybe one day he will accept” that he’s like Ghost.
Rod Stewart has tapped Culture Club to open for him on his upcoming U.K. summer tour, which will have him playing some unique venues, including football stadiums, estates and castles.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing the stage with my dear old friend, Boy George & Culture Club for this run of special summer shows,” Stewart shares. “I’m excited for them to join me on what is sure to be a memorable set of concerts at a variety of special venues.” He added, “We’ll all be dancing under the stars.”
Stewart’s U.K. tour kicks off in Plymouth, England, and wraps July 6 in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the only show Culture Club is not opening. He’s also scheduled to return to North America this year, with his Las Vegas residency returning to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on May 3, followed by a summer tour that kicks off July 29 in Sparks, Nevada. A complete list of tour dates can be found at rodstewart.com.
Courteney Cox is proving that fastidious Monica Geller isn’t just a character she played on TV, it’s a fundamental part of her personality.
The Friends alum, 58, shared a comedic video to Instagram on Wednesday in which she is seen cleaning her Hollywood Walk of Fame star — as well as the stars of some of her A-list pals.
“Someone’s gotta do it,” she captioned the clip, set to Dolly Parton‘s classic song “9 to 5,” while channeling Monica, one of TV’s most beloved clean freaks.
In the video, Cox watches a few people walk across her star before she steps out to give it a wipe and yell at the passersby, “You can go around!”
After taking care of her own star, she proceeds to clean the stars of Laura Dern, Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
“Thanks for keeping us clean, Court!!” Witherspoon wrote in the comments, while another of Cox’s Friends co-stars, Lisa Kudrow, replied, “Only the best thing ever.”
Cox received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February. The Scream 6 actress was joined by her daughter Coco, partner Johnny McDaid and pals Aniston, Kudrow and Dern, among others, at the dedication ceremony.
More of your favorite stars have joined the performance lineup for the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
Darius Rucker, The Black Crowes, Wynonna Judd, Ashley McBryde, Tyler Hubbard and Jelly Roll have been announced as additional performers for the upcoming show.
Darius and The Black Crowes will deliver a collaboration of the band’s hit “She Talks to Angels,” while Wynonna and Ashley will perform a duet of an as-yet-unannounced song.
Previously announced performers include Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson,and co-hosts Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, as well as Kane’s wife and “Thank God” duet partner, Katelyn Brown.
Rising newcomers Avery Anna, Chapel Hart, Jackson Dean, Lily Rose, Megan Moroney and Nate Smith will perform on the Ram Trucks Side Stage.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards air live on CBS April 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Livestreaming and on-demand streaming options will be available via Paramount+.
View the full list of nominations and vote for your favorite artists on CMT’s website.
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SZA is arguably one of the hottest music acts right now, so it’s no surprise A-listers want to see her SOS Tour. However, knowing people like Adele and Justin Bieber want to see her perform is apparently news to her.
The singer brought down the house at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles Wednesday night, and it seems she was only able to do so because she was blissfully unaware such famous faces were in the crowd.
Tomás Mier, a journalist for Rolling Stone, was aware and tweeted out everyone he spotted that night.
In addition to Adele and Justin, he revealed Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, Avril Lavigne and her new boyfriend, Tyga, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, The Last of Us heartthrob Pedro Pascal and several others were at the concert.
The journalist also shared a video of Adele, Justin and Hailey “vibing out to SZA.”
That video went through the grapevine and reached SZA, who was understandably shook. “Bruh .. this is actually too much,” she put in her Instagram Story. “I’m so glad I had no idea cause I wouldn’t have come on stage.”
SZA later shared a snap of a sweet gift Adele sent her, along with a card that read, “Thank you for having us.”
The “Kill Bill” singer captioned her Story, “Currently rethinking my entire performance.”
This comes a day after SZA told her fans on Twitter, “My anxiety is worse than it’s ever been [right now] and I desperately need grace and space . Not personal at all to whom it may concern [white heart emoji] love everyone.”
Radiohead‘s Colin Greenwood is playing bass in Nick Cave‘s live band on the Bad Seeds frontman’s upcoming North American solo tour.
The outing will run from September 19 in Asheville, North Carolina, to October 28 in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31, at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit NickCave.com.
Radiohead last toured in 2018 in support of their most recent album, 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. Frontman Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood have since formed a new band, The Smile, which will launch a U.S. tour in June.
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Chicago is sharing their take on a Beatles classic. The band just released their cover of “Magical Mystery Tour,” which has been part of their 2023 touring set list.
The idea to cover the song came from founding member Lee Loughnane after hearing the tune in a store. After laying down the tracks with engineer Tim Jessup, he sent it to the other members of the band, who added their contributions to the tune.
Chicago is set to spend quite a bit of 2023 on the road. Their next show is scheduled for April 7 in Windsor, Ontario, and they’ll return to the States April 11 with a show in Reading, Pennsylvania. The band has also just announced a one-night-only benefit concert on April 23 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York, with proceeds going to Musicians on Call. A complete list of tour dates can be found at chicagotheband.com.
(ATLANTA) — A growing number of children in the United States are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overall, the report found that about 1 in 36, or 2.8%, of 8-year-olds in the U.S. were diagnosed with autism in 2020, compared to 1 in 44, or 2.3%, of 8-year-olds in 2018.
This does not necessarily mean, however, that autism itself is becoming more common.
Instead, it’s likely that doctors, parents and communities are getting better at diagnosing children who may have been overlooked in prior years, the data shows.
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is defined by the CDC as a “developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.”
In recent years, there has been a major effort to improve screening, awareness and access to services in historically underserved communities. That means that more Black, Hispanic and Asian children are now being diagnosed.
In 2020, for the first time, the percentage of Black, Hispanic and Asian children diagnosed with autism exceeded the percentage of white children diagnosed with autism.
Boys continue to experience autism spectrum disorder at a rate that is nearly four times higher than for girls. The newly released report also found that autism among 8-year-old girls has exceeded 1%, according to the CDC.
A second CDC report — which evaluated 4-year-olds — warned about disruptions to early autism spectrum disorder detection that came with the coronavirus pandemic.
In the early months of the pandemic, younger children were less likely to have an evaluation of their development compared to the 8-year-old children when they were the same age, according to the report.
Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is crucial. It can help children and families get the resources they need so that children can reach their full potential, according to the CDC.
“Disruptions due to the pandemic in the timely evaluation of children and delays in connecting children to the services and support they need could have long-lasting effects,” Dr. Karen Remley, director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement. “The data in this report can help communities better understand how the pandemic impacted early identification of autism in young children and anticipate future needs as these children get older.”
Autism spectrum disorder can be identified as early as infancy, although most children are diagnosed after the age of 2. There is no medical test to diagnose autism spectrum disorder, so doctors watch a child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis, according to the CDC.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children be formally screened for autism spectrum disorder at their 18- and 24-month-old well-child visits. The AAP says pediatricians will begin monitoring babies at their first well-child visit by observing their behaviors.
“Early diagnosis is crucial for early intervention, which can greatly improve long term outcomes,” said Dr. Alok Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford Children’s Health and an ABC News medical contributor.
Early signs of autism spectrum disorder in children may include, but are not limited to, little or no smiling and limited eye contact by 6 months; little to no babbling, pointing or response to their name by 12 months; and few or no meaningful two-word phrases by 24 months, according to the CDC.
Additional signs of autism spectrum disorder may include delayed social interactions, exhibiting repetitive behaviors or showing a limited interest in activities and sensory issues like sensitivity to noise or sound.
Treatment for autism spectrum disorder comes in many different forms, from mental health therapy to occupational, physical and speech therapies. Sometimes medications can be helpful for things related to ASD, like mood problems or inability to focus.
(LOS ANGELES) — More than 30,000 picketing Los Angeles school service employees are expected to return to work on Friday after a planned three-day strike prompted the city’s mayor to intervene and jumpstart labor negotiations.
The job walkout by the Service Employees International Union Local 99 — which includes bus drivers, cafeteria workers and special education assistants — began on Tuesday, forcing the Los Angeles Unified School District to cancel classes for 420,000 students for three straight days.
“SEIU Local 99 school workers plan to return to schools Friday, March 24,” the union said in a statement.
While no contract settlement has been reached, both sides have returned to the bargaining table at the urging of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. No specifics on the negotiations were made public.
Bass’ office released a statement saying the mayor “will continue to work privately with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers.”
Max Arias, president of SEIU Local 99, issued a statement Wednesday evening welcoming Bass’ involvement in the negotiations.
“We are grateful that the mayor has stepped in to provide leadership in an effort to find a path out of our current impasse,” Arias said. “Education workers have always been eager to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and bargained with fairly, and with the mayor’s leadership we believe that is possible.”
School district officials also released a statement, saying, they “have been in conversation with SEIU Local 99 leaders with the assistance and support of Mayor Bass.”
“We continue to do everything possible to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees, corrects historic inequities, maintains the financial stability of the district and brings students back to the classroom,” the LAUSD’s statement reads. “We are hopeful these talks continue and look forward to updating our school community on a resolution.”
The striking service employees, backed by the powerful United Teachers Los Angeles union, began the final day of the strike by gathering at the school district’s bus yard. The workers are planning to hold a large rally later Thursday at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles with plans for a “unified call for LAUSD to bargain fairly,” according to a statement from the union.
This week’s labor action is the first major work stoppage for the nation’s second largest school district since a 2019 strike by the 35,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union.
The service employees have been working without a contract since June 2020. In December 2022, the union declared an impasse in negotiations, prompting the appointment of a state mediator.
The service workers’ union said many of its members earn “poverty wages” of $25,000 per year and are demanding a 30% pay hike, with an additional pay increase for the lowest-paid workers.
The school district’s most recent offer calls for a 23% wage increase, along with a 3% “cash-in-hand bonus.”
(WASHINGTON) — The fraught politics of immigration have largely focused on the land border between the U.S. and Mexico, but on Thursday afternoon a panel of lawmakers will turn to Florida’s maritime border and what government data shows is a sharply rising wave of migration from the Caribbean.
The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security is hearing from U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as U.S. Coast Guard officials to learn about resource and policy needs to better secure the Florida coast.
Republican lawmakers are expected to press the officials on ways the Biden administration could strengthen policy and deter migrants. Democrats are likely to point to recent declines in migrants from certain countries recently included in the dual-track strategy of the administration cracking down on unlawful claims while opening narrow avenues for relief.
But conservatives aren’t swayed.
“I think they’re both out of control,” Subcommittee Chairman Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told ABC News. “I wouldn’t say that the southern border is more in control.”
Gimenez cited the recent acknowledgement from Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz that the U.S. was not currently maintaining “operational control” of the border — defined under federal law as the complete prevention of unlawful entries, a feat no administration has ever achieved.
“Regardless of the technical terms, and whether you think that any president can actually meet that or not, this president has failed miserably,” Gimenez said, echoing broad Republican criticism of the Biden administration. “A greater failure than any other president in history.”
Experts say a number of factors have contributed to the protracted diaspora of populations across the Western Hemisphere, including the build-up of migration demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread instability in Haiti and deteriorating authoritarian regimes in South America.
In response to concerns about the border, President Joe Biden last year requested the largest-ever increase in Border Patrol personnel, with lawmakers ultimately approving funding for 300 additional agents.
Another 350 would be added under the president’s latest budget proposal, which is likely to be ignored by the divided Congress.
Most Republicans have opposed Biden’s funding proposals, saying solutions should start with apprehension and removal policies. While the White House has maintained some strict Trump-era measures, drawing the ire of immigration advocates, they have rolled others back and argued they want to be more humane.
Republicans have pointed to the reversal of restrictions including international agreements that facilitated the return of some asylum-seekers as well as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which made asylum-seekers wait outside the U.S. between immigration appointments. Mexico has since opposed such policies after the Biden administration showed a willingness to pull them back.
Gimenez, who said Biden is not being tough enough on Mexico, represents southern Florida and the Keys, a region that has seen an overall spike this year in unauthorized migrant dockings and other migrant apprehensions despite recent declines.
Border Patrol agents in the Miami region apprehended migrants 328 times last month, down from 1,357 apprehensions in January, according to CBP data.
So far this fiscal year, total Miami-area apprehensions have topped 5,000 for the first time since the Bush administration, with more than half the fiscal year to go.
Meanwhile, people without official travel documents have attempted to make legal entry more than 43,000 times this fiscal year at Miami ports, according to CBP data which includes Miami International Airport.
The U.S. Coast Guard has also found elevated numbers of migrants — mainly Cubans and Haitians — often on rafts and small boats not outfitted to handle the Atlantic Ocean. Such crossings can be deadly.
Coast Guard teams off the Florida coast have disrupted unauthorized Haitian maritime travel 3,567 times so far this budget year, far beyond the 419 encounters recorded in all of budget year 2017, the oldest year immediately available, or any year since except 2022.
Unauthorized migration from Cuba has also hit the highest levels seen in recent years. The vast majority of migrants found at sea are swiftly returned to their home countries by the Coast Guard.
“They come across on very flimsy boats and rafts and inner tubes — any way they can to seek freedom and seek a better opportunity here in the United States,” Gimenez said. “I don’t blame the folks trying to reach the United States. I’m a migrant myself. What I do blame — it needs to be done in a legal manner and it needs to be done in a safe manner.”
Outside experts have said broader forces are pushing people toward these journeys, regardless of the risk.
“Cuba is not far from the United States. The inability to migrate by land, the difficulty of accessing humanitarian parole for those lacking passports or sponsors, and historic levels of economic misery in Cuba have combined to cause an immediate spike in maritime migration across the Florida Straits,” analyst Adam Isaacson wrote last month.
South Florida has also long been a hub for international drug trafficking, and while the steady pace of CBP seizures continues, it appears uncorrelated to recent spikes in migration, based on a review of publicly accessible data.
Additionally, the vast majority of drugs seized by CBP are found at federal ports of entry.
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
