Spotify has put together a new hip-hop playlist called Feelin’ Myself, which includes 50 songs from various female rappers across the genre. In honor of the recent compilation, the streaming platform created an exclusive pack of trading cards featuring anime caricatures of some of the artists on the list.
The trading card pack is intended to celebrate the women in hip-hop. The front of the card sees rappers like Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, GloRilla and Flo Milli as super heroines, while the back will include the initials of each rapper and a barcode to the new playlist.
Spotify’s teamed up with livestream shopping platform NTWRK, giving fans a chance to win one of 25 bundles, including the exclusive card pack and artwork poster prints, in a drawing Tuesday, December 20.
Courtesy of HYBE, Trafalgar Releasing, and CJ 4DPlex. BTS 2023 (hightail.com)
If you missed BTS‘ October concert in Busan, South Korea, you will soon be able to experience it on the big screen.
To recap, BTS joined the city of Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030, which is held every five years in a different country. They named the October 15 performance BTS in BUSAN and performed signature hits like “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “IDOL.”
That show was taped and underwent a cinematic makeover for a limited theatrical release. “This special cinematic cut, re-edited and remixed for the big screen, features new close-up angles and a whole new view of the entire concert,” a press release teased.
BTS: Yet To Come in Cinemas will hit global theaters in over 110 countries and territories February 1 through February 4, with the final day offering “light stick screenings” so fans can wave around BTS’ signature illuminated merchandise.
Ticket sales go live January 10 starting at 7 p.m. ET on the movie’s official website, which will also list available screenings.
BTS was named PR ambassadors for Busan’s bid to host the Expo. It was competing for the rights against Rome, Italy; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Odessa, Ukraine. The host city will be chosen next year.
(NEW YORK) — A California town is a “total mess” following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the coast, according to local officials.
There is no power or water in the city of Rio Dell after the earthquake caused a major water main break and shook homes off their foundations, a Humboldt County official said Tuesday morning.
The “notable” 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the northern coast of California early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Preliminary data placed the center of the quake along the Pacific Coast about 7.5 miles away from Ferndale, California, USGS said. The quake was recorded at about 2:34 a.m. local time.
Multiple people were rescued Tuesday morning after they were trapped in a building that collapsed, Samantha Kargas, public information officer for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, told ABC News.
More than 71,000 customers — about 72% of those in Humboldt County — had lost power as of about 4:45 a.m. local time, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.
“Power is out across the county,” officials said on Twitter, adding in all-caps: “Do not call 911 unless you are experiencing an immediate emergency.”
The sheriff’s office also said there was “widespread” damage to roads and homes throughout Humboldt County, including the Fernbridge in Ferndale. There were at least two injuries in the county, both from falls, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
State Route 211 was closed at Fernbridge after the roadways and a bridge suffered possible seismic damage, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Significant damage was also recorded in Fortuna, where stores were seen with broken windows due to the tremors.
The quake was large enough to trigger a “ShakeAlert” that was sent to cellphones by FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert System, officials said.
“We hope everyone is safe and if you felt shaking or got an alert you took a protective action like Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” USGS said.
A tsunami wasn’t expected, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center, which reported the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 6.1.
ABC News’ Izzy Alvarez, Keith Harden, Liz Kreutz, Bonnie McLean and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Elon Musk has stayed silent on the results of a poll completed more than a day ago in which Twitter users voted for him to resign as the head of the platform. He pledged to abide by the outcome of the poll when he posted it.
Musk, who also runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, polled Twitter users Sunday night on whether he should step down as the leader of the social media platform.
The poll ended Monday morning, with 57.5% of voters saying he should step down and 42.5% saying he shouldn’t.
While remaining mum about the poll results since Monday morning, Musk has tweeted more than 10 times, including a criticism of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., over a public letter she wrote to Tesla Chairwoman Robyn Denholm expressing concern about his ability to effectively lead the carmaker and Twitter at the same time.
Musk said on Sunday, prior to the poll ending, that he has not selected a successor for the top position at the social media platform.
“No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive,” Musk tweeted.
“As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” he also tweeted Sunday, later adding, “Those who want power are the ones who least deserve it.”
The poll garnered nearly 15 million votes, roughly the same amount as a previous poll in which Musk asked users last month whether he should let former President Donald Trump back on the platform.
A user noted in a tweet that the poll regarding Musk’s leadership of Twitter received far fewer “likes” than the poll over Trump’s status, raising the possibility that bots played a larger role in the vote over Musk’s leadership. In response, Musk tweeted, “interesting.”
An individual also posted a message advocating that future polls over Twitter policy be restricted to users of the platform’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, which costs $8 month. “We actually have skin in the game,” the user said.Musk agreed, saying in reply, “Twitter will make that change.”
Since he acquired Twitter in October, Musk has posted a flurry of controversial messages that have drawn attention to the platform.
Last week, he posted a viral tweet that called for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious disease, to be prosecuted. In early November, he called on voters to cast their ballot for Republican candidates for Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, using his company to forward a partisan political objective.
Musk, who said he overpaid for the platform at the purchasing price of $44 billion, faces pressure to boost the company’s revenue. Last month, he said that the company was losing $4 million a day.
The company relies almost entirely on advertising revenue, which depends on the number of users on the platform.
Before he acquired Twitter, Musk told reporters at the Met Gala in May that “he wants a much bigger percentage of the country to be on it, engaging in dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Musk prompted backlash from lawmakers and figures across the political spectrum in response to Twitter suspending the accounts of more than half a dozen journalists who cover Musk at The New York Times, The Washington Post and other prominent outlets.
The journalists were initially suspended on Thursday without warning but Musk later told reporters in a Twitter Spaces interview that the banned accounts had shared real-time location information, an apparent reference to accounts that track the planes of public figures, including Musk.
The suspensions came days after Twitter banned accounts that had shared publicly available information on plane travel. The company imposed a new rule on the same day prohibiting the spread of real-time location information on the platform, after a stalker allegedly followed a car carrying Musk’s son, Musk said.
(NEW YORK) — As the country faces a rise in COVID, flu and RSV, there is a testing kit that the FDA authorized in May that is one swab for all three viruses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there have been at least 15 million reported flu-like illnesses, 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths from flu this season. Since last week, there’s been a 15% increase in total illnesses and the number of people in the hospital. Though there’s increased spread of COVID-19 concentrated in the Northeast and California, national numbers are relatively stable.
GMA medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton joined Good Morning America to break down the tool to battle against this season’s “tripledemic.”
“The FDA is trying to improve access to PCR testing … so they’ve authorized a three-in-one test that tests for COVID, RSV and the flu with one swab,” Sutton said.
How the test works
“With the spike in RSV cases over the last year, the continued presence of COVID-19, and the ever-present threat of flu, testing for all three viruses at once enables individuals and physicians to quickly identify the illness and determine the appropriate treatment,” Dr. Brian Caveney, chief medical officer and president of Labcorp Diagnostics wrote in a press release in part of a statement.
Labcorp’s combined home collection kit, called The Pixel, is for COVID, flu and RSV only. The FDA authorized the emergency use of the kits “for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and/or influenza B, and RSV, not for any other viruses or pathogens,” according to a Labcorp press release.
Unfortunately, results don’t come in 15 minutes like a rapid antigen test, but the results are processed in a lab, using the amplification process of PCR, so the results may be more accurate. Potential test-takers go to a website and fill out a questionnaire. If they meet the criteria, they are sent the kit via overnight service. The user then swabs their nose to collect a sample and sends the kit back to Labcorp for testing. Results take one to two days after the samples have arrived back at the lab, so it takes about three to five days at the earliest to receive final results.
The kit is available for use by individuals age 2 and older, without the need for a prescription, according to the press release. The test also has no out-of-pocket cost for those with insurance and who meet the criteria in the questionnaire.
For those who are uninsured, it runs $169.
Similar tests are available from urgent care and other health care providers and you can get your results quicker. Quick results may be more useful because if you are positive for COVID-19 or the flu, treatments like Paxlovid or Tamiflu have to be taken within a few days after symptoms appear.
Should you take this test before holiday gatherings?
The Pixel three-in-one test is not for anyone looking to get rapid test results or people who may be at high risk for the three viruses and who are already experiencing flu-like symptoms.
“If you’re high risk, then you might be a candidate for interventions, for example, like Paxlovid,” Sutton said. “If you’re lower risk and you have mild to no symptoms, then I think that this is an option to take but again, if you’re going to go to an event or holiday party, my recommendation is use those rapid tests as close as possible to that event to increase the level of accuracy and if you want to add an extra layer of protection a couple of days before, you can get the PCR tests.”
Experts also say testing should not replace but can supplement other precautionary measures.
“Knowing your results early are really important depending on your risks, and if you’re lower risk and you have symptoms, wearing a mask [can help] to prevent transmission, regardless of your test results,” Sutton added.
Treatment has the best outcomes with early identification. A new study found that Paxlovid lowered the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by 44% in a highly vaccinated group of U.S. adults over the age of 50. Best results are determined if started within the first three to five days after symptom onset.
t’s not surprising to hear that Bob Dylan has some definite thoughts on how we should listen to music, but you may be surprised by some of the artists he’s enjoying these days.
In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dylan shares that he listens to music on CDs, satellite radio and streaming, although he mentions the latter has made music “too smooth and painless.”
“I do love the sound of old vinyl though, especially on a tube record player from back in the day,” he shares, noting, “the tone quality is so powerful and miraculous, has so much depth, it always takes me back to the days when life was different and unpredictable.”
Dylan says these days he discovers new music “mostly by accident, by chance,” or thanks to recommendations from others. When it comes to live music he says he’s seen gone to two Metallica concerts and “made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner.”
As for which contemporary artists he listens to he says he likes Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher, as well as Julian Casablancas, Grace Potter, Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag and Bone Man, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen, sharing that he enjoys “anybody with a feeling for words and language, anybody whose vision parallels mine.”
Primal Scream keyboardist Martin Duffy has died at age 55.
In a post shared on the “Movin’ on Up” outfit’s Instagram Tuesday, frontman Bobby Gillespie writes that Duffy passed on Sunday after he “suffered a brain injury due to a fall at his home.”
“We in Primal Scream are all so sad,” Gillespie shares. “Martin was a very special character. He had a love and understanding of music on a deep spiritual level. Music meant everything to him.”
Duffy played on every Primal Scream album beginning with their 1987 debut, Sonic Flower Groove, and officially joined the band in 1991. He previously was a member of the band Felt and also played with the group The Charlatans UK.
“He lived to laugh and play music,” Gillespie writes of Duffy. “He was loved by all of us in the Scream. A beautiful soul. We will miss him.”
Future‘s FreeWishes Foundation blessed families in metro Atlanta during its ninth annual Winter Wishland Christmas giveaway. The event took place over the weekend and saw many treated to a free shopping spree at Target.
“We’re here to make sure that some of the kids will be able to get some of the toys and personal hygiene items of their desire,” said Future’s mother, Stephanie Jester, CEO and co-founder of the foundation. “We understand that everyone just can’t go out and shop this year, so why not be a blessing to the families, especially when we’re blessed all year long.”
“Christmas has always been another opportunity to give and not receive for the foundation. We’ve been committed to giving back to those in need for over 10 years, especially in metro Atlanta and the neighborhood we grew up in, Kirkwood,” adds Future’s sister Tia Wilburn. She co-founded the foundation with Jester 13 years ago.
The Winter Wishland Christmas giveaway is one of many events the foundation hosts throughout the year. Jester and Wilburn have previously given out scholarships, hosted wellness events for senior citizens and brought free grocery pop-up markets to families for Thanksgiving.
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin cover Pink‘s “Get the Party Started” for night two of this year’s The Hanukkah Sessions.
The pop star, who is Jewish, joined the Foo Fighters frontman and the producer for a rendition of her 2001 single during the pair’s recent show at the Largo club in Los Angeles. Compared to Pink’s usual, often acrobatic arena show, the performance was much more minimalist, with her vocals accompanied only by Grohl’s drums and Kurstin’s keyboards, as well as some background singers, including Tenacious D‘s Jack Black.
You can watch the Hanukkah Sessions’ version of “Get the Party Started” streaming now on YouTube.
For TheHanukkah Sessions, which is now in its third year, Grohl and Kurstin release a cover of a song by a Jewish artist for each of the holiday’s eight nights. This year’s edition began with a version Blood, Sweat & Tears‘ “Spinning Wheel” featuring director Judd Apatow.
The last two Hanukkah Sessions spawned covers of artists including KISS, Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Drake, Lisa Loeb, Ramones, Amy Winehouse and Billy Joel.
(NEW YORK) — As the holiday travel rush begins, a major storm is expected to move from the West Coast to the East Coast, bringing heavy snow, blizzard conditions and damaging winds.
This week’s forecast
On Tuesday morning, the storm is hitting Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, dropping several inches of snow.
By Wednesday afternoon, snow and brutal cold will slam Denver to Minneapolis.
On Thursday, the snow moves into Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago.
Snow totals could top 1 foot in parts of the Midwest.
On Friday, gusty winds will blow all that snow around and may produce blizzard conditions in the Heartland and Chicago. Major airport delays are possible.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, heavy rain and damaging winds are possible Thursday night into Friday night. Winds gusts could reach 50 to 60 mph from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Major flight delays are possible.
Brutal cold
Behind this winter storm will be brutally cold air.
The temperature in Denver might remain below zero all day on Thursday, making it the coldest day in eight years.
In Montana, actual temperatures on Thursday are expected to be in the minus 40s, with a wind chill — what temperature it feels like — near minus 60 degrees. This could be the coldest air for the region in almost 40 years.
On Friday morning, the wind chill is forecast to plunge to minus 42 degrees in Minneapolis and minus 31 degrees in Chicago and Kansas City. On Christmas morning, the wind chill will be slightly more bearable with forecasts of minus 29 degrees in Minneapolis, minus 16 degrees in Chicago and minus 6 degrees in Kansas City.
This bitter cold moves into Texas, the Gulf Coast and Florida on Friday and will last through Christmas weekend. On Christmas morning the wind chill is forecast to be 24 degrees in Houston, 23 degrees in New Orleans and 32 degrees in Tampa.
In New York City, a brutal wind chill of 5 degrees is forecast for Christmas morning.
