Viola Davis is going from The First Lady to the president of the United States.
The actress who was seen as Michelle Obama on Showtime’s The First Lady earlier this year will be playing President Taylor Sutton in an upcoming Amazon original action movie she’s producing called G20. Sutton is a military vet who goes all John McClane in Die Hard when terrorists take over the G20 summit.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, she “must bring all her statecraft and military experience to bear to defend her family, her fellow leaders, and, of course, the world.”
In the announcement, Amazon Studios’ movie head Julie Rapaport called Oscar winner Davis, currently in theaters in the hits The Woman King and Black Adam, a “one-of-a-kind talent both in front of and behind the camera.” “[W]e can’t wait to watch her bring the dynamic character that is President Sutton to life,” she added.
Viola and her husband and producing partner, Julius Tennon,will shepherd the movie under their JuVee Productions banner.
A new book on Jimi Hendrix is in stores now, while one on Genesis will arrive early next year.
Jimi is written by Hendrix’s stepsister Janie Hendrix and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. It features rare and previously unpublished pictures of the late guitar legend as well as lyrics and personal memorabilia. Quotes from Jimi’s famous fans, from Paul McCartney, Lenny Kravitz and Ron Wood to Jeff Beck and Dave Grohl, are also included.
If this Hendrix book inspires you to write your long-delayed novel, Montblanc has a Jimi Hendrix collection of ballpoint and fountain pens. Each one celebrates a standout year in Hendrix’s career, from 1967 to 1969. But with prices that range from $940 to — no joke — $37,000, you might be better off buying a guitar.
Meanwhile, a unique book on Genesis is due March 17, 2023. Called Play Me My Song – The Music Of Genesis, the 558-page tome is described as “the biggest book ever published on” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. But rather than simply being a band biography, it’s made up of extensive essays about every song and album in the band’s entire catalogue.
According to the publisher, Play Me My Song — named after a line in the Genesis song “The Musical Box” — “blends song histories, musical analysis, critical reviews, autobiographical tales, the fun of countdowns, and a dash of pure silliness.” You can pre-order it now.
Cody Johnson is headed into tonight’s CMA Awards already a winner: He won Music Video of the Year for “‘Til You Can’t” in an early victory ahead of the ceremony.
He’s still got three nominations in the running: Two in the artist-focused categories of New Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, and another for Single of the Year, also for “‘Til You Can’t.”
Though any of those trophies would be a dream come true, Cody says that Single of the Year is the one he’s most excited about.
“Simply because Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers wrote one of the greatest songs ever, in my opinion. And I got to be the voice,” he tells ABC Audio. “Trent Willmon, my producer, and Jack Clarke, my engineer — they built one of the most incredible tracks I’ve ever heard in the studio.”
In other words, a win in the Single category wouldn’t just be a win for Cody — it would celebrate all the people who helped make this massive, chart-topping song.
“I think that would be a team win. So I just think that would feel better,” he continues.
When it comes to categories like Male Vocalist, the competition is fierce — Cody’s up against Eric Church, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Chris Stapleton — but the singer says he’s just happy to be in the mix.
“I would be honored to win any of it, but at the end of the day, I win. I’m here. I’m being accepted,” he points out. “My music is being accepted and celebrated. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The 2022 CMA Awards kick off tonight at 8 p.m. in Nashville. The show will broadcast live on ABC.
The CMA Awards haven’t even officially started yet, but the first winners are already being named.
Ahead of tonight’s show, Cody Johnson won the Music Video of the Year category for his “‘Til You Can’t,” a gripping and emotional visual component to his equally poignant breakout hit.
Cody is by no means finished with the awards show ceremony: He’s up in three more categories, including Male Vocalist of the Year, and he’s set to perform on the awards show stage tonight, too.
Next up, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde won their latest accolade for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” in the category of Musical Event of the Year. Their chart-topping duet is now two for two in that category at major awards shows; it won Music Event of the Year at the ACM Awards back in March, too.
Both early winners were announced during a special segment on ABC’s Good Morning America. The 56th annual CMA Awards airs tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC; the ceremony will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Taylor Dayne, the singer known for hits like “Tell It to My Heart,” “I’ll Always Love You” and “Love Will Lead You Back,” is stepping back into the spotlight to raise awareness about the importance of routine cancer screenings.
“Life is precious,” Taylor, 60, told ABC’s Good Morning America. In July, she was diagnosed with colon cancer after a routine colonoscopy, which she has twice a year after past procedures showed benign polyps. This time, doctors discovered a polyp that held an aggressive cancer.
Taylor said her world went “dark” at the word “cancer,” but her doctor reassured her that they’d caught it early, which increases the chance of positive treatment outcomes.
“He never even said the stage,” said Taylor. “All I could do is [think], ‘OK, five months ago, I know there was nothing. So this is early detection.”
While colon cancer is the third most leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, it’s also highly treatable and curable, if found early through a colonoscopy.
After her diagnosis, Taylor had 10 inches of her colon removed and was declared cancer-free. But she said she experienced a “complication” during recovery, and developed a post-op infection that required her to stay in the hospital for 15 or 20 days — which brought back traumatic childhood memories of suffering from terrible kidney infections.
“This has challenged me mentally, emotionally,” she said. “I am now back in a therapy program.”
The singer wants others — especially women — to talk to their doctors about when they should be screened for things like colon cancer.
“When you’re really sick, you don’t have the energy, you’re really relying on your champions around you, your soldiers, your people,” she said. “Find the doctor that will tell you the truth. Be a warrior for yourself.”
(WASHINGTON) — Voters in three states have enshrined abortion rights in their constitutions while votes are still being counted in two states to see if access to abortion services will be further restricted.
The power to regulate abortion was returned to the state level in June after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion rights.
Heading into the midterm elections Tuesday, three states — California, Michigan and Vermont — had abortion-related questions on the ballot to strengthen rights and two states — Kentucky and Montana — asked voters if they wanted to further limit rights.
During this year’s primary elections, voters in Kansas struck down a proposal to remove the right to abortion from the state’s constitution.
California
In California, voters decided to amend the state constitution to prohibit the state from denying or interfering with a person’s “reproductive freedom,” ABC News projects.
Voters accepted lawmakers’ proposal to protect the fundamental right to choose to get an abortion or use contraceptives.
Currently, abortion is legal up until viability in California, which is about 24 to 26 weeks gestation, per the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that studies sexual and reproductive rights.
Vermont
In Vermont, ABC News projects voters decided to amend the state’s constitution to include a right to “personal reproductive autonomy,” which includes abortion.
Although it is currently legal in Vermont at any stage of pregnancy, the state’s constitution did not grant explicit protections for the right to abortion prior to the acceptance of the amendment.
Michigan
Michigan voters said yes to a constitutional amendment that would add protections for reproductive rights this November, ABC News projects.
The amendment defines reproductive freedom as “the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management and infertility care.”
A state abortion ban on the books since 1931 is being challenged in state courts, but a state judge ruled in September that the ban is unconstitutional, barring the state’s attorney general and state prosecutors from enforcing it.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, ABC News projects that a proposed constitutional amendment further restricting abortion rights has failed.
The amendment to the state’s constitution would have specified the right to abortion does not exist, nor is the government required to allocate funding for abortion.
Abortion is currently banned in the state after a trigger law went into effect when Roe was overturned. Arguments against the ban will soon be heard in the Kentucky Supreme Court, something the amendment would have prevented.
Montana
Similarly, results are still incoming for a proposal by the Montana Legislature to change the state constitution to define all fetuses “born alive” as legal persons, including those born after an abortion.
The bill defines “born alive” as the complete expulsion or extraction of a human infant at any stage of development, who after extraction breathes, has a beating heart or has definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut or what the birth method is, according to the bill.
This proposal would grant any fetus born alive the right to appropriate and reasonable medical care and treatment. Providers who do not give that care could face a fine of up to $50,000 and up to 20 years in prison.
Montana state courts have blocked three abortion bans passed last year from going into effect while litigation continues.
It was SZA’s 33rd birthday Tuesday, but her fans got the gift: a tease of some new music.
The singer posted a video on YouTube titled “PSA (Official Teaser),” featuring shots of her wearing a bikini and posing in the middle of a ring of green flames as a new song plays.
“I don’t want nobody calling me anything but number one/Know I got problems, I don’t know how to take losses/Even when, even when they are lost causes,” she sings on the track.
SZA also shared the clip on social media, writing, “happy birthday to me. Clock starts now .”
The video teaser ends with the Morse code for SOS. The code also appears in her Instagram bio and in the music video for “Shirt,” leading fans to believe it’s the title of her next album. The much-anticipated album will be the follow-up to 2017’s Ctrl.
(NEW YORK) — Taylor Dayne is known on stage for her ’80s top-hits like “Tell It to My Heart,” “Prove Your Love” and “Love Will Lead You Back,” but now she is stepping back into the spotlight for a different reason. The Grammy-nominated singer wants to raise awareness about the importance of self-advocacy and routine screenings — which could be lifesaving.
“Life is precious,” Dayne told ABC News’ Good Morning America.
In July, the 60-year-old singer was diagnosed with colon cancer after a routine colonoscopy, a procedure that she has twice a year after doctors found benign polyps in the past. This time, she said doctors discovered a polyp that held an aggressive cancer.
Dayne said her world went “dark” at the word “cancer,” but said that her doctor re-assured her they had found her illness early, which increases the chance of positive treatment outcomes.
“He never even said the stage,” said Dayne, who thought back to her last colonoscopy. “All I could do is [think], ‘OK, five months ago, I know there was nothing. So this is early detection.”
Colon cancer is the third most leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, but also highly treatable and curable, if found early through a colonoscopy.
Dayne said weeks after she discovered her cancer, she underwent surgery that removed 10 inches of her colon and was declared cancer free right after the procedure.
Although she said she didn’t have to undergo chemo or radiation, she said she experienced a “complication” during her recovery and developed an infection post-operation.
“I ended up staying in the hospital for about 15 days, 20 days,” said Dayne. “There’s no guarantees when they open you up, what’s going to happen. That’s really the truth.”
Once Dayne was released from the hospital, she said she had to focus on getting better, not just physically, but emotionally. Her hospitalization brought her back to traumatic memories from her childhood when she suffered from terrible kidney infections.
“For me, being back, I felt like I was four years old again back in the hospital, basically locked inside my own body without a voice,” said Dayne. “So, this has challenged me mentally, emotionally. I am now back in a therapy program.”
Now, Dayne said she is feeling stronger and wants others, especially women, to talk to their doctors about their own personal risk factors and when they should be screened for things like colon cancer — just in case.
“When you’re really sick, you don’t have the energy, you’re really relying on your champions around you, your soldiers, your people,” she said. “Find the doctor that will tell you the truth. Be a warrior for yourself.”
Meghan Trainor is opening up about life after giving birth.
The “All About That Bass” singer welcomed son Riley with husband Daryl Sabara in February of last year and in an interview with ET Canada she shared, “I was my heaviest I’ve ever been.”
“I was like over 200 pounds when I C-sectioned him out,” she added.
After giving birth, Meghan said she “just wasn’t feeling great” and was in a “really dark place,” but her son was motivation for her to change that, which resulted in her losing about 60 pounds.
“So, I worked every day and challenged myself. I was like, ‘If I can survive a C-section, I can do anything,'” she declared.”I was very dedicated and I started seeing the pounds come off like one week at a time, one pound.”
The pop star even learned some new things about herself in the process.
“I learned that I do like healthy food and I learned what portions mean,” she shared. “And I learned my brain is so happy when I exercise, so I’m just [feeling] better than ever.”
Rebel Wilson is opening up about the heartwarming meaning behind her daughter’s name.
In a new interview withPeople, the Pitch Perfect actress, who announced Monday that she welcomed a baby girl, Royce Lillian Elizabeth Wilson, via surrogate, shared the origins of her baby’s moniker.
“I wanted an original name starting with the letter R and so eventually landed on that one,” she shared.
As for Royce’s middle names, those come from other members of the Wilson clan.
“Lillian and Elizabeth are both family names carried by women in my family who I admire,” Rebel said. “Elizabeth, which is also my middle name, after the late Queen.”
