Nicki Minaj celebrated her son’s second birthday with a Minions-themed bash.
The rapper posted pics of the party to Instagram on Monday, including one of herself and husband Kenneth Perry holding the toddler, whom they affectionately call “Papa Bear.”
“On 9/30/22 you turned 2,” Nicki wrote. “#PapaBear, your Dad & I love you so much. You make us so happy. You’re perfect. Thank you for giving mama new meaning to life. God cover you. Always.”
Nicki also shared a video of the event, which included an “ice cream machine, cotton candy machine, smoothie machine, pop corn, magic mocktail bar, bouncy house & slide, slime station, Lego hat making station, coloring station, face painting, etc. etc.,” according to her caption.
Singer Cassie was a guest at the celebration with her two young kids. “Full circle moment,” Nicki captioned a photo featuring Cassie and the kids. “From rapping about Cassie to having kids the same age. I love you guys so much.”
The midterm elections are fast approaching, and Olivia Rodrigo wants to make sure all eligible voters head to the polls on November 8.
The singer donned a retro white tee with the word “VOTE” embossed in crystals on her chest and addressed fans via her Instagram Story. She partnered with the nonpartisan organization I am a voter to encourage her followers to participate in the midterms.
“It’s a very important election,” she stressed, adding that America’s vote will determine “one third of the Senate… The entire House of Representatives, and a bunch of local leadership positions” on November 8.
“So many really important issues hang in the balance,” Olivia continued, adding that she is registered to vote. She added the process was “super easy.”
Olivia joins a growing list of singers, including Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor and Pink, who areencouraging young voters to head to the polls next month.
All stress the importance of checking one’s registration status before the state deadline and signing up to participate in the upcoming election.
Emancipation, according to Apple TV+, tells “the triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom.”
The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” which first appeared in Harper’s Weekly after being taken during a Union Army medical examination. The graphic image contributed to the growing public opposition to slavery.
Some in attendance at the screening later praised the film on social media.
“I’m still haunted by #Emancipation. It’s truly powerful, moving and captivating,” Perry wrote on his Instagram Stories. “And the conversation afterwards with this group was legendary.”
“This night was truly one for the books! An amazing and brilliant group of friends got together and witnessed TRUE ART,” Barris added on Instagram. “The conversation after was the effect of what anything and everything we as creatives do in this industry hope for.”
Emancipation is Smith’s first film since he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards and won the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard.
As a result of the headline-making controversy, Smith received a 10-year ban from Oscars ceremonies. He apologized to Rock, the Academy and his family and fans on numerous occasions.
Emancipation debuts in U.S. theaters on Dec. 2 and hits Apple TV+ a week later on Dec. 9.
(DALLAS) — Henry “Michael” Dwight Williams, the man who sold the gun to the Texas synagogue hostage-taker earlier this year, was sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison, authorities said.
Malik Faisal Akram, 44, held four people hostage for 10 hours in Colleyville’s Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area last January. The hostages were safely evacuated and Akram was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.
Williams sold Akram a semiautomatic Taurus G2C pistol on Jan. 13. In plea papers, Williams admitted to possessing the firearm despite his conviction, according to Chad Meacham of the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas.
“This defendant, a convicted felon, had no business carrying – much less buying and selling – firearms. Whether he suspected his buyer would use the gun to menace a community of faith is legally irrelevant: In the U.S., convicted felons cannot possess firearms,” said Meacham.
The FBI was able to uncover cellphone records tying Williams to Akram. The two exchanged several phone calls from Jan. 11 to Jan. 13, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
After he was arrested on an outstanding warrant in January, Williams told investigators that he sold Akram the handgun at an intersection in South Dallas.
Williams was charged in January, indicted in February and pleaded guilty to the charge in June. A federal judge issued the sentencing on Monday. He was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted possession of a controlled substance.
“The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who violate our nation’s federal firearm laws, which are designed to keep guns from falling into the hands of dangerous offenders. We are grateful to the FBI, which sprang into action as soon as the synagogue hostage crisis began, and to the agents who worked tirelessly to track the weapon from Mr. Akram to the defendant,” Meacham said.
Disney Branded Television and the BBC trumpeted on Tuesday that it will be bringing the beloved British sci-fi show Doctor Who to a global audience.
The announcement was made this morning by the next Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
The deal will bring future episodes of the series about the titular time and dimension-spanning hero to viewers all over the world via streaming on Disney+.
Doctor Who first appeared on TV in the U.K. in 1963. Since then, 13 actors have portrayed the character; Gatwa’s debut will be in 2023.
Ayo Davis, the president of Disney Branded Television said in a statement, “Doctor Who has captivated the imaginations of families around the world for the past six decades. We are so excited about this collaboration with the BBC, and the opportunity to bring this iconic franchise — and [producer] Russell T Davies‘ brilliant vision — to life for a huge new global audience.”
Davis added of the doctor’s powerful gadget, “Grab your sonic screwdrivers and prepare to travel through time and space!”
(NEW YORK) — This could be the last chance for fast food fans to get their hands on a McDonald’s McRib as the golden arches prepares to say goodbye to the saucy sandwich.
Starting Oct. 31, the seasoned, boneless pork sensation that’s slathered in tangy barbecue sauce and topped with slivered onions and pickles, will be back on menus for a limited time.
“We can’t say for certain what the future holds. But for now, fans should enjoy the McRib while they can, because it won’t be returning nationwide anytime soon,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s said in a statement to ABC News’ Good Morning America.
“After three straight years headlining McDonald’s nationwide menu each fall, the iconic sandwich is embarking on a ‘Farewell Tour,'” McDonald’s said in a press release. “Like any true farewell tour, we’re hoping this isn’t a ‘goodbye’ … because as our McRib stans have experienced time and time again: you never know when – or if – the McRib is coming back.”
The now-famous sandwich first hit menus in 1980, got a mini version in 2003 and prompted a McRib locator in 2008 so fans could track down which locations had it available. In 2021, McDonald’s USA created it’s first NFT offering a digital version of the McRib.
The sandwich may be gone, but for superfans who hope to enjoy more of the McRib legacy, McDonald’s is launching a line of merch.
Hardy drew inspiration from his real life to create the story of “wait in the truck.”
The song about a man who comes across a battered and bruised woman one night while driving in his truck is inspired by how Hardy anticipates he would react if his fiancee, Caleigh Ryan, were to find herself in a similar situation.
“The inspiration for the song came from my fiancee Caleigh having a non-physical altercation with a guy at a party. I got really fired up and basically thought ‘I wish I knew where he lived.’ I would tell Caleigh to get in the truck with me, find his house and tell her to wait in the truck,” Hardy explains. “We decided to make a really deep story-song as opposed to ‘I’m going to kick your a** and be right back.’ We wanted to get as dark as we could; I think that’s what pulls the emotion out of people.”
Hardy’s duet partner, Lainey Wilson, also drew from a personal place while shooting the video. In recent months, Lainey shared that her father is experiencing health issues and was admitted to the ICU the day they shot the video. She expressed her grief on camera.
“The part I was playing was emotional, so I let myself feel all the things I was feeling and channeled them the best I could to fit how we wanted my character to come across,” she says.
Hardy and Lainey will perform “wait in the truck” at the CMA Awards, airing November 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
Rock Camp: An Oral History, written by David Fishof, founder of the long-running series of star-studded gatherings, tells the story of the interactive music events through interviews with many of the people who had their rock ‘n’ roll dreams fulfilled by attending one or more of the camps.
Fishof also shares behind-the-scenes tales about how the Rock Camp was founded as well as the challenges he faced to establish the series and to organize the events.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp events give music fans and non-professional musicians the chance to interact with, play with and be mentored by a variety of well-known artists. The camps have been held at various locations around the world, including London’s Abbey Road Studios and the Whisky a Go Go club in West Hollywood, California.
Among the many stars who have taken part in Rock Camps are The Who‘s Roger Daltrey, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry, Jeff Beck and late Cream bassist Jack Bruce.
Rock Camp: An Oral History can be preordered now. All proceeds raised by sales of the book will benefit the Rock and Roll Fantasy Foundation, a charity that supports “emerging musical talents in building their path to success.”
“[Twenty-five-plus] years on I still get such a charge seeing campers on the first day and watching their reaction when they meet their Rock Star counselors and bandmates,” says Fishof in a statement. “It’s really tremendous — and now I get to share their stories with fans around the world.”
(NEW YORK) — Five tourists who were trapped some 200 feet underground at Arizona’s Grand Canyon Caverns for more than 24 hours due an elevator malfunction have since been rescued, authorities said.
“All subjects were safely removed at approximately 7:30 p.m. last night and were all in good condition,” Jon Paxton, public information officer for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, told ABC News in an email on Tuesday morning.
The elevator broke down on Sunday evening when visitors went to leave the popular tourist attraction near Peach Springs, Arizona, about 100 miles west of Flagstaff. Several people were able to walk up the 21 flights of stairs to get out, but five others were either unable to safely do so or chose to stay behind with those who physically couldn’t, according to the sheriff’s office.
The stranded group was provided accommodation and food that night by a small hotel and restaurant adjacent to the dry caverns, which are among the largest in the United States and date back 65 million years. The elevator malfunction was initially thought to be electrical but is now believed to be mechanical after an external generator that arrived on Monday did not fix the problem, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said it sent a search and rescue team with a basket apparatus that can lift people up the elevator shaft one-by-one, in the event that the technicians could not repair the elevator quickly.
It was not immediately clear how the tourists were rescued on Monday evening.
(WASHINGTON) — A bill recently introduced in Congress would restrict federal funding from organizations, local governments and schools that include LGBTQ content in events, programs, education and more.
The “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act” has a very slim chance of passing Congress. The midterm elections, however, could change that.
Here’s what the bill would entail:
If passed by Congress, the legislation would prohibit federal, state, local governments and private organizations that receive federal tax dollars from developing, facilitating or funding programs, events or literature on “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender dysphoria, or related subjects” for children under the age of 10.
Parents would be allowed to file a lawsuit against any public or private entity that uses federal funds to display or facilitate content featuring LGBTQ identities.
If an agency or organization violates these restrictions more than once in a five-year period, it could lose access to federal funds for three years, according to the bill.
The bill specifically mentions drag shows, which have been the recent target of criticism by conservative groups advocating for laws such as this one.
Proposed bill prompts criticism
The bill sparked immediate backlash from some LGBTQ people and activists across the country, who say this legislation misrepresents these identities as inherently sexual, shameful or taboo.
They assert that this kind of legislation will silence and harm LGBTQ teachers and students, while stigmatizing the community and threatening federally funded programs on inclusion.
“Instead of joining the rising tide of acceptance and bipartisan support for LGBTQ people, members of Congress trying to score political points propose a bill filled with misinformation with the futile attempt of smearing and erasing who we are,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD.
She continued, “The American people see this for what it is: a desperate and losing effort targeting the most vulnerable students, with the goal of spreading lies.”
The proposed bill comes amid a wave of conservative calls against the representation or discussion of LGBTQ identities in schools and libraries. The Republican-led battle against LGBTQ content has grown nationwide, prompting book bans and similar legislation in several states.
“A federal ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill – modeled after the controversial discriminatory law in Florida and aiming to drive LGBTQ+ families and teachers out of the education system – is their latest cruel attempt to stigmatize and marginalize the community, not in an attempt to solve actual problems but only to rile up their extremist base,” said David Stacy, the government affairs director of LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.
Effort reflects nationwide conservative movement
Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson is leading the effort, backed by more than 30 other Republican Congress members.
“The Democrat Party and their cultural allies are on a misguided crusade to immerse young children in sexual imagery and radical gender ideology,” Johnson said.
The legislation follows the implementation of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which was implemented in July. Several states have followed Florida’s lead, including Alabama, which has implemented so-called “Don’t Say Gay” policies of its own.
Supporters say these laws allow parents to decide what should be taught to their children.
“We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said before signing the bill in March.
Following the law’s implementation, the state Board of Education approved a rule that could remove the licenses of teachers who include sexual orientation or gender identity in their curriculum. The Miami-Dade school board also voted against formally recognizing LGBTQ History Month, a month it had celebrated in the past.
Some teachers say they’ve left classrooms behind because of these anti-LGBTQ policies.
