Are Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner dating? Page Six reports the two grabbed dinner at an upscale West Hollywood restaurant and hugged it out before leaving. Kylie Jenner, as well as their mutual friend Travis Bennett, also joined them for dinner.
Billie Eilish‘s brother, FINNEAS, gave an update on her new music after a fan accused the singer of taking her time with the follow-up to Happier Than Ever. When a fan pointed out how long it’s been since they announced her next album, FINNEAS wrote back, “Great things take time.”
British artist Mae Muller released the heartbreak banger “I Wrote a Song,” which is about how she productively handled a bad breakup. She said in a statement she wanted the song to empower others. She’ll sing it at Eurovision, where she’ll be representing England, which she said is “honestly a dream.”
BTS‘ Jimin released the concept photos for his upcoming album, FACE. The promotional images are meant to show the many sides of Jimin. His new album drops March 24.
Pink revealed to Entertainment Tonight her kids donate eight of their toys whenever they get a new one. “They’re so thoughtful about it,” she said of 11-year-old Willow and 6-year-old Jameson. “So yeah, we do one toy in, eight go out.”
Ava Max said her first heartbreak hit her like a “ton of bricks.” She told the Smallzy’s Surgery podcast it did make it hard for her to perform, and she broke down “a few times” during her healing journey. That also helped her write her album Diamonds & Dancefloors, with her explaining, “I died inside and that was all I could write about.”
Nick Jonas pelted wife Priyanka Chopra with colored powder while celebrating Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors. Priyanka shared the hilarious snap to her Instagram Story and wrote, “As u can tell we take it very seriously.”
Gorillaz and Godsmack have new number one albums under their belts.
Gorillaz moved over 64,000 copies of their latest release, Cracker Island, giving them their first number one on Billboard‘s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart since 2017’s Humanz. The album is their third number one overall, with Plastic Beach hitting number one in 2010.
And that’s not all. Cracker Island also lands at number one on the Top Rock Albums and the Top Alternative Albums charts, as well as on the Vinyl Albums chart, after moving 32,000 vinyl copies. Gorillaz also score their second number one on the Top Album Sales chart, following Humanz.
As previously reported, Cracker Island debuted at three on the all-genre Billboard 200 Album chart.
As for Godsmack, they land their fourth number one on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart with their latest, Lighting Up The Sky, which moved 21,000 units. They previously hit number one with 2018’s When LegendsRise, 2014’s 1000Hp and 2010’s The Oracle.
Over on the Billboard 200, Lighting Up The Sky debuted at 19.
Rod Stewart is paying for more MRI scans as part of his mission to reduce wait times. The Mirror says Stewart vowed to help as many people as he can across the U.K. after paying for scans at a hospital near Essex, England. “It lowered the percentage by 10% of people waiting, which is not a p**s in the ocean,” he said.
Madonna will be featured on three songs by artist Christine and the Queens. Madge performs on the songs “Angels Crying in My Bed,” “Lick the Light Out” and “I Met an Angel” off the French singer’s upcoming album, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, which arrives June 9.
Michael Bublé is known for wearing tailored suits, so when he posted a photo of himself wearing a very relaxed outfit — a beanie, dark jeans and a white pullover — fans went a little wild. Apparently, the clothes flattered his physique, with fans making comments about him hitting the gym, as well as other thirsty remarks.
Pink revealed to Entertainment Tonight her kids donate eight of their toys whenever they get a new one. “They’re so thoughtful about it,” she said of 11-year-old Willow and 6-year-old Jameson. “So yeah, we do one toy in, eight go out.”
Ava Max said her first heartbreak hit her like a “ton of bricks.” She told the Smallzy’s Surgery podcast it did make it hard for her to perform, and she broke down “a few times” during her healing journey. That also helped her write her album Diamonds & Dancefloors, with her explaining, “I died inside and that was all I could write about.”
Nick Jonas pelted wife Priyanka Chopra with colored powder when celebrating Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors. Priyanka shared the hilarious snap to her Instagram Story and wrote, “As u can tell we take it very seriously.”
(HAMBURG, Germany) — Multiple people were shot, some fatally, at a church in Germany Thursday night, police said.
Several people were seriously injured in the shooting, which occurred in a church in Hamburg, police said.
Police said the building where the shooting occurred was being used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. and involved one or more unknown perpetrators, according to an alert from the city of Hamburg.
The streets around the church have been cordoned off and residents have been advised to avoid the area and shelter in place “for the time being,” the alert said.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher called reports of the shooting “shocking” and offered his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims.
“The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background,” he said in a statement.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Once again, James Gunn has clapped back against a troll who took issue with one of his Instagram posts.
On Monday, Gunn happily touted his Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji‘s role as the High Evolutionary in Gunn’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
However, somebody snarked of the character, “Damnit…another white guy they made into a black guy. Why couldn’t they just leave him white or i dont know…pick a different minority? How about Asian or gasp! A Latino? (how many Latinos and Asians in MCU? Like total of 5??) Or make him an Indian or something…because they don’t and won’t, that makes them ‘woke.'”
The social media user’s rant continued, “They’re picking based on race and what’s PC and not on acting and what’s established.”
Gunn didn’t let it stand, however, shooting back, “I chose the best actor, period, and the best person for the role. I don’t give a s*** what ethnicity @chukwudi_iwuji is, so stop with your racist presumptions on WHY he was chosen.”
For good measure, lifelong comic fan Gunn noted, “And, by the way, he’s playing a guy who’s almost always purple in the color [books].”
For the record, plenty of other folks piled onto that person, too.
Recently, Gunn replied to snarkers who took issue with some of his choices as the new co-CEO of DC Films.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters May 5.
(NEW YORK) — The Afghan Taliban began reversing women’s rights soon after returning to power in 2021, imposing bans on education, work and the ability to travel without a male guardian. Women who have protested the oppressive new rules face arrest and the possibility of being tortured and forcibly disappeared, according to a report from Amnesty International.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed recently traveled to Afghanistan, where she met with Taliban leaders to discuss the harsh restrictions on women and girls. Mohamed spoke to ABC News Live’s Mona Kosar Abdi about the crisis Afghan women are facing and the U.N.’s ongoing humanitarian work in the country.
MONA KOSAR ABDI: You recently got back from Afghanistan, making you the most senior U.N. official and also woman, it’s important to point out, to meet with the Taliban leaders. Can you tell me a little bit about how that conversation went? And also, were you able to bring women’s rights to the forefront?
AMINA MOHAMED: Absolutely. It was a huge task and a half. We did a lot of consultation before we got there with Afghan women, Afghan women who have been in the United States for a couple of decades, those who’ve come just recently as the Taliban came back in and many Afghan women within Afghanistan, countries in the neighborhood. They have a right to be in the workplace. In fact, Islam itself, the jihad, was founded by a woman and the prophet’s an employee of a woman. So, these are things we brought to the front, and we were able to have those discussions. They are denying rights to women for education and in the workplace, and that has to be reversed.
KOSAR ABDI: And today is International Women’s Day, which is a day that highlights women’s achievements all over the world. But it also puts a spotlight on the fight for women’s rights and also gender inequality, particularly in countries like Afghanistan, where, as you mentioned, women cannot go to work, where women cannot go to school. So what role can the U.N. play in advocating for women and further pushing their rights in countries, for example, such as Afghanistan?
MOHAMED: Well, as the Taliban came back into Afghanistan, the United Nations stayed to deliver because we were very concerned that those reversals would come very quickly. So it was important for us to be there in the humanitarian space to ensure that lives were saved and the majority of those women and it had to be women to women’s services. So we shored that up. The international community rightly were concerned and took a position to pause on the funding. We made the case for, please don’t do that because this will harm women and girls and the vast population that are vulnerable and poor in very harsh circumstances in Afghanistan. So we worked around how to better deliver, even in the most extreme circumstances, where these bans were in place. The U.N. continues to be there in its mission with its country team, deploying whatever space that we can push and expand to ensure that women and girls come back into the workplace, come back to school, continue to get delivered of services that are lifesaving.
KOSAR ABDI: One concern that we’ve heard expressed, particularly in Afghanistan, is about young girls being forced into marriage. Can you touch a little bit about the U.N.’s response to preventing child marriages?
MOHAMED: Well, this has been something that we’ve been engaged with around the world. It is a huge challenge to women and girls’ rights, where there are harsh laws in place that enable this practice to happen. So what we do is to try to look at the root causes, which is why I say that families, the levels of poverty have to be addressed, so families don’t have to give their children away in marriage or otherwise, because in some cases they’re selling them.
KOSAR ABDI: After the U.S. withdrawal back in 2021, the Biden administration froze billions in aid and, coupled with the drought, it is severely impacted the Afghan economy. Can you touch on just what impact it is having on the people and the state of the country?
MOHAMED: Well, there is no formal economy to talk of. Everything is in the informal space. And it’s very difficult for them with the sanctions and with no economic framework or financial structure to operate, to allow, you know, salaries to be paid in basic government entities or for the economy to move forward. And the pressure that we can put upon them, again, is about their economy. They care about their economy. They want to trade. They want to be recognized. And that’s where we can put some pressure for them to, you know, abide by those values and principles of the international community to bring them back in. So clearly, the economy matters. Clearly, they appreciate, in fact, they told me they appreciate the funding that comes on the humanitarian side. But that’s one thing to appreciate, it’s the other to behave, it’s the other to do the right thing by women and girls. But the economy is certainly up front and center. There are big issues around that.
KOSAR ABDI: Part of your work is about amplifying the voices of women and sharing their stories. Can you share some of those stories with us that you’ve heard about some of the rights that they’re advocating for?
MOHAMED: You speak to Afghan women, they are the best you’ll find anywhere. And you can see that with those who are in diaspora, incredibly smart and really beautiful women from the inside out. That’s being snuffed. It is International Women’s Day. Every woman that knows that their daughter can go to school tomorrow in the developed world needs to think about that and raise their voice to amplify what is a right for Afghan women who have daughters. And that does help. Whether you tweet it or you speak about it or you charge your representative in the parliament, it’s so important around the world that we don’t let this die.
KOSAR ABDI: Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
MOHAMED: Thank you and Happy International Women’s Day.
Bruce Springsteen fans in Columbus, Ohio, are going to have to wait to see The Boss. The rocker’s Thursday show was postponed due to illness, although who is sick hasn’t been revealed.
“Due to illness, tonight’s Bruce (Springsteen) and The E Street Band concert at Nationwide Arena has been postponed,” the arena announced on social media. “We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”
This isn’t the first illness to plague the tour, although it’s the first time a show has been called off because of it. Since launching in February, E Streeters Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Jake Clemons and Soozie Tyrell have all come down with COVID and had to miss shows.
Springsteen’s next concert is scheduled for Sunday in Uncasville, Connecticut.
While the Academy Awards sometime gets poo-pooed for featuring movies most people haven’t seen — even during Chris Rock‘s first hosting stint at the 77th annual awards — this year’s event features some bona fide blockbuster Best Picture nominations.
However, for every Avatar: The Weight of Water — which made more than $2.2 billion and counting — there’s a TÁR or Women Talking, so-called “prestige pictures” that weren’t made to compare in the bottom-line department.
Just for fun, seeing as they’re all nominated for the biggest award of Sunday night, here’s a peek at each of the nominated movies, their reported production budgets from available reporting and their worldwide theatrical performances, according to Box Office Mojo.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Reported production budget: $350 million to $400 million
Box office: $2,283,196,259
Top Gun: Maverick
Reported production budget: $170 million
Box office: $1.49 billion
Elvis
Reported production budget: $85 million
Box office: $287,340,048
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Reported production budget: $25 million
Box office: $104,872,026
TÁR
Reported production budget: $35 million
Box office: $20,067,659
Women Talking
Reported production budget: N/A
Box office: $7,303,166
All Quiet on the Western Front
Reported production budget: $20 million
Box office (limited release for Oscar consideration): $3 million
The Fabelmans
Reported production budget: est. $40 million
Box office (limited release): $37,962,769
The Banshees of Inisherin
Reported production budget: $20 million
Box office: $46,597,386
Triangle of Sadness
Reported production budget: $15.6 million
Box office: $24,510,342
Olivia Rodrigo made Aftersun star Frankie Corio‘s birthday all the more sweeter.
Paul Mescal, who earned an Oscar nod for playing Frankie’s on-screen father in the film, was the mastermind behind the surprise. He got the “drivers license” singer to make a special birthday greeting for Corio, who is now 13, and played it for her while they were filming Aftersun in Turkey.
Leona Corio, Frankie’s mother, shared the sweet video of Mescal showing his phone to the young actress, whose face drops in shock. “Hey, Frankie, it’s Olivia,” the singer says.
Part of Olivia’s message is muffled because of background noise, which includes excited giggles, but she can be heard saying, “I hope you have the best day ever.”
“I hope you eat lots of cake and open lots of presents, and I hope I get to meet you real soon,” the hitmaker says.
Frankie is rendered completely speechless, even as Mescal apologizes for the video arriving after her birthday.
Olivia is currently working on her sophomore album, the follow-up to SOUR, but she has previously hinted that it might come out sometime this year.
Unprisoned, a new series about a relationship therapist and single mother whose life changes when her father’s released from prison, comes out on Hulu Friday. The show features Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo in the starring roles of Paige and Edwin, but also vital to the series are characters played by Jordyn McIntosh, Faly Rakotohavana and Marque Richardson.
Faly takes on the role of Kerry’s son, Finn, who has to deal with his grandfather suddenly being around. He says his favorite thing about his character is “the relationship that develops between me and my grandfather,” especially because Finn “never really had much of a father figure.” He tells ABC Audio “watching that relationship grow and getting to create that relationship and make it grow with Delroy Lindo … was beautiful.”
Jordyn plays young Paige, whose cussing, she says, will have fans asking, “Who’s letting this girl use this language?”
Marque portrays Mal, a caseworker at the halfway house Edwin moves into. He says he loves that his character is “empathetic and compassionate,” noting the role “came at the right time in my life” as he was looking “to work with people that I loved and respected.”
Faly, Jordyn and Marque all worked with Kerry in some capacity. Faly calls Kerry an inspiration, while Jordyn describes her as “a really nice person” and says she loved her energy. Marque tried not to let his fandom take over.
“I was trying to do my best not to get fired because I’m such a fan and a student of both Kerry and Delroy,” he said. “If you think about what we’re actually doing … I’m working with Kerry, I’m working with Delroy, or even working with these people (Jordyn and Faly), I woulda lost my job cuz I woulda lost my mind.” (AUDIO 1-ON-1)
