Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Smokey Robinson has done a lot in his career, but there’s still one thing he’s hoping to accomplish. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Smokey reveals his desire to try his hand at acting.
“If there’s anything left on my bucket list, it would be that I would like to make a movie, a good movie,” he tells the show. “… I’d like to be in a really good movie and be a character.”
Smokey also discussed how he feels about a movie or Broadway show being made about his life and career, and he says if it happens, it’s “gonna be very candid.”
“I might as well be candid. I don’t want to sugarcoat it… There’s going to be my ups and my downs, and my positives and my negatives, and all that has to be included, if it’s going to be real,” he shares. “I want it to be real, so people can get a good feeling of what my life has been and what it’s like.”
Halle Bailey is reflecting on the past year and a half since filming wrapped on the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
In an interview with The Face, the 22-year-old actress and singer, who makes up one-half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle, and who stars as Ariel in the remake of the 1989 Disney animated film, talked about the support she’s received since taking on the movie’s lead role.
“I was crying all night for two days, just staring at them in disbelief,” she said, referring to the videos of young Black girls reacting to the first teaser trailer showing Bailey as Ariel for the first time. “It just makes me feel more grateful for where I am.”
While the responses to the trailer — which dropped in 2022 at the D23 Expo — were overwhelmingly positive, it also became the target of backlash, similar to the criticism that came in 2019, when casting for the film was first announced.
Online, the hashtag #NotMyAriel was used in both instances to respond to the news.
Bailey, who recognizes the weight behind her turn as Ariel, shared how she’s handled the negativity.
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” she said. “When [my sister and I] first signed to Parkwood [Entertainment, Beyoncé‘s record label,] she was always like, ‘I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments.’ Honestly, when the tease came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”
“I know people are like: ‘It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her…. People don’t understand that when you’re Black, there’s this whole other community,” Bailey added. “It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”
Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and waived his first court appearance after being charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting on the set of his film Rust, court officials announced Thursday.
Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were both charged last month with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
First assistant director David Halls has already agreed to plead no contest for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. The plea agreement is pending a judge’s approval, prosecutors have said.
All three were scheduled to make their first court appearances remotely on Friday, though Baldwin and Halls filed a waiver of first appearance this week and no hearing will be held for them. Both pleaded not guilty to their charges in their waivers.
District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer also issued an order setting conditions of Baldwin’s release, including that he must not possess any firearms, not consume alcohol and have no contact with any potential witnesses unless it’s related to filming the movie.
Gutierrez-Reed’s hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. MST Friday.
The charges followed a lengthy investigation into the on-set shooting, which has also spawned multiple lawsuits, including from Hutchins’ family.
In the statement of probable cause, investigator Robert Shilling said that evidence showed that Baldwin had his finger inside the trigger, and that the trigger was pulled — contradicting Baldwin’s statements.
In Gutierrez-Reed’s charging document, Shilling claimed that the armorer’s “deviation from known standards…directly caused the fatal death of Hutchins,” including not insisting Baldwin have proper firearm training, or correcting him on “dangerous” safety violations such as pointing the weapon at people and having his finger on the trigger.”
Dollywood’s counting down the days until it kicks off its 2023 season on March 11. Not only will it be 21 days longer than last year, this season also has the opening of both the Big Bear Mountain roller coaster and the new HeartSong Lodge & Resort on the horizon.
Here’s a look at some of the other major events at Dolly Parton‘s East Tennessee theme park:
March 11 – April 8: I Will Always Love You Celebration
April 21 – June 11: Flower & Food Festival
June 17 – August 6: Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration
September 20 – October 30: Harvest Festival
November 4 – January 6: Smoky Mountain Christmas
Queen has just landed a new Spotify milestone: The band’s classic track “We Will Rock You” has surpassed one million streams on the streaming service.
“We Will Rock You,” written by guitarist Brian May, was featured on the band’s 1977 album, News of the World, and was released as a single on October 7 of that year. It went on to be certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.
The song isn’t the only Queen track to reach such a milestone on the streaming service: Back in December, “Bohemian Rhapsody” surpassed two billion steams on Spotify.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 1 million customers are without power in the U.S. as two monster winter storms bring blizzard conditions, heavy snow, ice and rain to large swaths of the country.
The vast majority of the outages are in Michigan, where more than 820,000 customers are without power amid an ice storm.
A volunteer firefighter in Paw Paw, Michigan, died Wednesday evening when a power line fell on him, according to Paw Paw Fire Chief Jim DeGroff. The buildup of ice caused a tree limb to snap the line, DeGroff said.
In the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, blizzard conditions and heavy snow topping 1 foot are halting travel. Some snow drifts have blanketed roads, shutting down highways.
And gusty winds and bitter cold temperatures aren’t making it for easy for power crews to restore service to areas facing outages.
In Minneapolis, where schools are closed, the blowing snow will start to improve Thursday night, but bitter cold temperatures will be moving in.
Thursday afternoon and evening, the storm will move into the Northeast, dropping an additional 3 to 6 inches of snow in northern New England.
Buffalo, New York, is forecast to see freezing rain and sleet Thursday night, causing slick conditions on the roads.
Parts of New York state, Connecticut and Massachusetts will get rain and a wintry mix. Coupled with a flash freeze in southern New England, a dangerous layer of ice could form on roads.
In the West, Portland, Oregon, recorded 10.8 inches of snow on Wednesday, marking the second-biggest day of snowfall in recorded history.
In Salt Lake City, nearly 17 inches of snow fell, which is one of the city’s top 9 biggest snowstorms.
Snow even fell in the Las Vegas metro area and mixed with rain in the Los Angeles suburbs.
In California, residents are bracing for heavy rain and possible flooding this weekend.
A rare blizzard warning was also issued for Southern California where up to 8 feet of snow is expected in the highest elevations in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.
And in the South, residents are encountering record-breaking heat.
Atlanta hit 81 degrees Wednesday, marking the city’s hottest February temperature on record.
The temperature in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville climbed to 85 degrees on Thursday, setting new records for both city’s hottest February day ever.
Stephen King‘s It universe is coming back to the small screen in a prequel series for HBO Max. The cable network noted that Andy Muschietti — the director behind a pair of blockbuster recent It movies — will shepherd the show tentatively titled Welcome to Derry along with his sister Barbara, who co-produced the films centering on the terrifying Pennywise the Clown.
As its working title suggests, the show will be set in Derry, the spooky town in which King’s original book and the films were set.
In an announcement, Sarah Aubrey, HBO Max’s head of original content noted, “We are thrilled to continue this iconic franchise,” calling the Muschettis “brilliant.” The show will “expand the It storytelling canvas and bring fans deeper into the terrifying, mesmerizing town of Derry,” she promised.
For their part, the Muschiettis exclaimed, “As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s It until the thick paperback fell to pieces. It is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our It movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.”
King noted, “I’m excited that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing.”
It was first made into a two-part miniseries for ABC in 1990, with Tim Curry playing the kid-snatching clown.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation
KISS’ Gene Simmons has welcomed a new member into his family.People reports that the rocker’s daughter Sophie, with wife Shannon Tweed-Simmons, wed fiancé James Henderson Wednesday at Shannon’s home in Los Angeles.
The mag reports that the couple first tied the knot Friday at a courthouse in Los Angeles, before celebrating with 30 guests at a bash in the backyard of Shannon’s “she-shed.”
“We couldn’t be prouder of our daughter,” Gene and Shannon tell the mag. “James is a solid young man, and Sophie can do anything she puts her mind to,” adding, “We wish them a lifetime of love and happiness. If they are even half as happy as we are, they will last long.”
Sophie chose a blush Lahav dress for her big day, while her groom wore a Tom Ford suit.
As for the location of the wedding, Sophie shares, “The view truly can’t be beat and I love that it is intimate and family oriented,” adding, “James and I never wanted a big wedding so this is the perfect space for us.”
And the couple plan to continue the party: Another speakeasy-style bash with 250 guests is happening Thursday in Los Angeles, and on Friday, they are hosting a brunch for out-of-town guests who flew in for the affair.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal investigators on Thursday released a preliminary report into the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.
Detailing the report at a Washington, D.C., news conference, chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said “we know what derailed the train” and addressed the town’s worried residents.
“I can tell you this much. This was 100% preventable. We call things accidents. There is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable. So, our hearts are with you know that the NTSB has one goal and that is safety. And ensuring that this never happens again,” she said.
The NTSB would hold a rare field hearting in East Palestine this spring, she said, but added that a final report with recommendations might not be finished for up to two years.
The report reads in part: “Surveillance video from a local residence showed what appeared to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment. The wheel bearing and affected wheelset have been collected as evidence and will be examined by the NTSB.”
The agency released an investigative update last week saying that through surveillance video it identified and examined a rail car with “what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.”
According to the report released Thursday, the wheel bearing passed three sensors prior to derailment. With each passing the temperature was higher. The third and final sensor recorded the temperature at 253 degrees. Critical audible alarms went off and instructed the crew to stop.
In the process of stopping the train, automatic emergency braking kicked in and the train made a full stop. The focus will now be on car 23 that carried plastic pellets and it was a combination of the hot axle and plastic pellets that started the initial fire.
Homendy said placards posted on the train cars indicating hazardous material on board were plastic and melted and that needs to change.
Thirty-eight rail cars total derailed in the incident, NTSB said. Eleven of those cars contained hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses.
The release of the report also coincides with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s first visit to the derailment site.
Buttigieg has faced criticism from Republicans for not traveling to the site sooner. The secretary defended his decision, writing on Twitter that he “followed the norm of staying out of the way of the independent NTSB.”
At a press conference after touring the community on Thursday, Buttigieg briefly mispronounced East Palestine before correcting himself and then made what appeared to be a thinly-veiled reference to former President Donald Trump, who had touched down one day prior.
“To any national political figures who have decided to get involved in the plight … I have a simple message which is: I need your help. Because if you’re serious about this, there is more we can do to prevent more communities from going through this,” he said.
Asked several times about the timing of his visit, Buttigieg maintained that he was “trying to strike the right balance” and allowing NTSB to play its role first.
He was joined on the trip by Amit Bose, the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and Tristan Brown, the deputy administrator for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Asked at the Washington news conference about the political finger-pointing and former President Donald Trump’s visit to East Palestine Wednesday, Homendy said, “Enough with the politics on this. Enough with the politics. I don’t understand why this has gotten so political. This is a community that is suffering. This is not about politics. This is about addressing their needs, their concerns, that’s what this should be about.”
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Hundreds of students across Florida walked out Thursday in protest against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his policies concerning higher education.
Students walked out of their classrooms at the University of South Florida, University of Florida, Florida State University, and more in opposition of his efforts. Some high school students also joined in on the statewide walkout.
DeSantis recently announced plans to ban colleges and universities from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory.
Critical race theory is a discipline that seeks to understand how racism has shaped U.S. laws and how those laws have continued to impact the lives of non-white people.
DeSantis also signed the so-called “Stop WOKE” Act into law in 2022, which restricts race-related curriculum and conversation in workplaces, schools and colleges. However, it has been temporarily blocked from being implemented in colleges and universities. The law is still being battled out in court.
“I think people want to see true academics and they want to get rid of some of the political window dressing that seems to accompany all this,” DeSantis said at a January news conference about the effort.
Students protesting DeSantis say they value their academic freedom and liken the efforts of his administration to censorship.
“We want to take these classes and for the state to come in and say, ‘Well, we might not want to allow you to have that’ … At what point are college students going to be considered adults by the state of Florida?” Jonathon Chavez, president of College Democrats at USF, told ABC News.
He continued, “We want to make our own decisions and our education, how we want to better ourselves. We think it’s quite silly that the state would try to restrict that.”
DeSantis’ office did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
Dream Defenders, a group of Black and brown anti-racism activists, are hosting “Black History teach-ins” amid the walkouts to combat the plethora of efforts from DeSantis to restrict race-related education.
“Ron DeSantis has been on a rampage. He’s banning books and flags in classrooms everywhere. He’s making sure our history isn’t getting taught. He’s getting rid of teachers, professors and faculty that look like us and support us,” said Nailah Summers, the co-executive director of the Dream Defenders, who publicly called for a statewide day of action, along with the newly formed Stand for Freedom, a coalition of student organizations spanning Florida’s college campuses. “He’s made it harder to protest, harder to vote, and harder to live in Florida.”
DeSantis’ administration is also under fire by demonstrators for reportedly requiring state schools to provide information about gender-affirming care they’ve provided for students.
“At our schools, we found that transgender students [had stopped] receiving those services”, said Chavez. “They don’t know what that is going to be used for. They’re scared that it might be used to restrict them further. And that’s a very real and tangible outcome for a very simple request.”
