After months of anticipation, the public now has its first glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan’s upcoming docuseries.
Netflix on Thursday released a trailer for the six-episode docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
The roughly one-minute trailer shows snapshots of personal moments for the Sussexes, from falling in love to leaving their royal roles and charting their own future in California.
“No one sees what is happening behind closed doors,” Harry says after a voice asks why the couple wanted to make the documentary.
Meghan later says in the trailer, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
Along with the intimate photos, the trailer also shows Harry speaking candidly about his efforts to shield his family, which now includes two children, Archie and Lilibet.
“I had to do everything I could to protect my family,” Harry says.
Harry and Meghan’s docuseries, directed by Liz Garbus, is due to air in December, just weeks before Harry’s memoir is published.
Incidentally, back in October, Page Six reported Netflix and the filmmakers behind the pair’s upcoming streaming documentary “were confused” by apparent “discrepancies” between what they said on camera and Harry’s own words in his upcoming memoir, Spare.
“A lot in the show contradicted what Harry has written, so that was an issue,” a senior Netflix source revealed at the time.
The rapper, who broke through this year with her hit “Big Energy,” was also Billboard’s Top New R&B/hip-hop Artist and Top Female Rap Artist of the Year.
Meanwhile, “Big Energy” came in at number one on the year-end R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales, Rap Digital Song Sales and Rhythmic Airplay Songs roundups.
“Big Energy,” which spun off a remix featuring Mariah Carey, peaked at number three on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart in April and spent 37 consecutive weeks in the top 40.
Billboard’s top songs and artists of the year are based on sales, airplay and streaming during the weeks that an artist or a song appeared on one of its charts between November 20, 2021 and November 12, 2022.
Kim Kardashian is apparently making good on her claims that she’s “re-evaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga after the company ran a series of controversial ads.
The fashion house’s campaign displayed its products in a bedroom that featured children holding a teddy bear dressed up in bondage gear, and visible on a desk in one photo was a printout of United States v. Williams, a 2008 court decision affording First Amendment protection to some aspects of child pornography.
In a subsequent apology after the controversy crested, Balenciaga claimed it didn’t see the final ads, and filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the production company, North Six, and set designer, Nicholas Des Jardins for “inexplicable acts and omissions” in its 2023 campaign.
TMZ is reporting that former Balenciaga booster Kim K has declined taking part in the fashion company’s 2023 campaign following the controversy, and has been removing its outfits from her forthcoming looks for upcoming events.
Kim was flamed online for not responding to the ads right away. She tweeted last week, “I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.”
The mother of four also added she was “shaken by the disturbing images,” and, “any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.”
(NEW YORK) — Brown University first-year student Olivia Pichardo made history by becoming the first woman in history to play Division 1 college baseball.
Pichardo spoke with ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos about how she has persisted and achieved success, the biggest challenges she sees for the future and what her message is for other woman and girls in the sport.
PRIME: Joining me now is Olivia Pichardo. Welcome to the show. So nice to meet you.
PICHARDO: Hi. Thank you for having me.
PRIME:Of course. So I just mentioned that you were a walk-on trying to get a spot on the baseball team roster. What were your expectations when you went to the tryouts and then the practices? Did you think you had a shot?
PICHARDO: Yeah. I mean, ever since I knew that I was coming to Brown, I was just giving myself positive reinforcement, just saying that I’m going to make the team and just not having any doubt in my mind.
PRIME:What was it like the moment you heard that you made the team?
PICHARDO:It was pretty surreal. Yeah, I mean, my face didn’t show that much in the video, but that’s just my demeanor. It’s just how I am. But yeah, it was nice to know that all the hard work that I put in really paid off.
PRIME:Yeah, so let’s go back a bit. You’ve been playing baseball since you were a young child, five-years-old… When did you realize that it was unusual, that very few girls were competing in baseball when a lot of the other girls were playing softball? When did you realize that difference?
PICHARDO:Well, when I was little, I didn’t really see, I guess, I didn’t see gender or whatever. But it started to actually settle in much later when I was 14. And when, you know, kids start talking more in school and, you know, just getting a little bit meaner. But yeah, I would say around 14 years old is when it started to hit me that what I’m doing is really out of the ordinary.
PRIME: Yeah, and even those negative comments didn’t stop you. None of it discouraged you from playing baseball.
PICHARDO:Right.
PRIME: What’s it been like being on the team? How have your teammates treated you?
PICHARDO:Yeah. Everyone has been super welcoming and a lot of them reached out to me after the news broke, just telling me that they’re in my corner and they have my support, you know, through all the online skeptics that there might be. So, yeah, they treat me just like they would each other.
PRIME: That’s really good to hear. Your college baseball season starts in February– what do you think will be the biggest challenge ahead, not only as a student-athlete in your first year, but as someone who will have a lot of the focus on your performance on that team?
PICHARDO: The biggest challenge, I would say, is just to stay within myself and to try not to let the moment get too big and, you know, just try to get into a good mindset and whatever I’m doing in that game.
PRIME:You truly are an inspiration. Despite the naysayers, you stuck with it and you’re living out your dream. And I applaud that, I mean, that’s huge. What is your message to other women and girls who want to participate in sports that are traditionally reserved for boys, like baseball?
PICHARDO:I would say to just keep playing the sport that you love and to not let anyone else affect that decision. Whether you start and stop playing, that sport should be solely on your own terms and not because anyone told you otherwise.
PRIME:Good advice. Olivia Pichardo, thank you so much for joining us and for taking some time out of your busy school life. We’ll let you get back to it. And good luck with finals coming up.
(NEW YORK) — They were once coveted birthday and holiday gifts for millions of millennials and Generation Xers.
They were Nintendo Entertainment System bundled with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt or that copy of Pokémon Gold for the Game Boy Color.
And even though those vintage game systems and cartridges are long gone from store shelves to make way for more advanced tech, the beloved games are still in high demand. In some cases, they can sell for thousands of dollars for collectors and retro gamers.
“Everybody’s into this stuff because this is the stuff they grew up on,” Nick Pittelli, the CEO of the retro gaming store “The Game Island,” told Impact x Nightline.
Impact x Nightline takes a look at this growing and lucrative trend in an episode now streaming on Hulu.
Although retro gaming has had a following ever since the first video game systems hit the market in the 70s, experts say the trend has boomed in recent years, and along with it the profits.
The industry-wide resale price for Nintendo 64 systems, which sold for $199.99 when it launched in 1996, or roughly $375 in 2022 dollars, can now fetch as much as five figures depending on its condition and rarity, according to experts.
Brandi Ahmer, a Maryland police officer who has a giant collection of video games, arcades and other vintage electronics, showed off her basement where she keeps her gaming relics. She told Impact that she was able to snag some rare consoles at bargains.
“That one goes for about $8,000,” Ahmer said of a rare red Nintendo 64 controller. “That’s what I was offered, but I paid $12.50 for it. I found it in a video game store.”
“Then this one right here is a chrome Nintendo 64…There’s only ten of these in the world,” she added. “And I was offered close to $20,000.”
Ahmer said she has no intention of selling any of her vintage systems or games and is always on the lookout to add to her collection.
“There’s something about these older systems,” she said. “But it’s like there are memories of a simpler time, you know, your childhood.”
Ahmer isn’t the only one feeling that nostalgia.
Pittelli said that demand for vintage games grew during the pandemic and the value of some items in his shop has gone up by 40%.
Joey Walker-Denny, the social media manager for the Pennsylvania-based retro game store DK Oldies, told Impact that his team gets about 300 emails a day from customers looking to either buy or sell their used games.
“I’ve seen larger emails than that,” he told Impact.
Walker-Denny noted that his team, which has grown tremendously since the store opened in the 2000s, takes great care to ensure that the games are in working condition for their customers, in some cases going as far to replace key components, such as a Game Boy screen.
“A lot of the stuff that we sell is over 30 years old. So you can imagine it needs a thorough cleaning,” he said.
Pittelli and other retro gaming experts said they expect that more people will be on the lookout for vintage games to reclaim their youth.
“I think there’s a stigma, like, ‘Oh yeah the people who shop or go to a video game store. They’re super nerdy.’ No, it’s not like that anymore. Rappers come here. Artists come here,” Pittelli said.
As a prolific songwriter, busy touring artist and dad to four daughters, Thomas Rhett has a busy schedule to juggle — but he says that 2022 has taught him not to try to do everything at once.
In an interview with his record label, TR shares that he’s planning to do less multitasking in 2023. “I think I learned balance this year,” he explains.
Before he became a father, the singer says, doing everything at once didn’t bother him. “I could go on the road and write all day long, do the show, hang out till 4 o’clock in the morning, wake up, do it all again,” he says. “And then this year, it kinda got the best of me a little bit.”
Now, he says, he thinks that “compartmentalizing” the different parts of his life is the best strategy.
“If we’re gonna write, let’s just write. If we’re gonna play shows, let’s make sure that the show is the focus,” he continues. “And if we’re gonna be dad, let’s make sure that being dad is the focus and not try to do it all at the same time. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned this year.”
TR’s already got big plans for next year: He’s reviving his Home Team Tour in 2023, and bringing Cole Swindell and Nate Smith along for the ride.
But before he gets to that trek, Thomas is ready to prioritize family time for the holidays. The singer and his wife, Lauren, are big fans of Christmas, and from the looks of his social media, they’ve already been out shopping for their Christmas tree.
Deadline reports that Oscar-winning director Ang Lee will be helming Bruce Lee, with the filmmaker’s son Mason Lee playing the titular martial arts icon. The film is a passion project for Ang Lee. “Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema,” Ang Lee tells Deadline. “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound-frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.”…
Apple TV+ has released a teaser and premiere date for its new comedy, Shrinking. The show stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, in one of his first major TV roles. It follows a grieving therapist, played by Segel, who decides to start being brutally honest with his clients. The first two episodes will debut Friday, January 27, followed by one new episode every Friday…
Robert De Niro is reportedly set to star in a new Netflix limited series called Zero Day, according to Variety. Plot details are scarce so far, but Variety reports the story is a political thriller with De Niro playing a former U.S. president. De Niro will serve as an executive producer on the project as well. Should it move forward, it would mark the actor’s first regular TV role…
(LVIV, Ukraine) — Officials have warned that the city of Lviv, Ukraine, home to over 150,000 internally displaced people, could face a winter without power as they anticipate another surge in refugee numbers.
The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, told ABC News that the city, near the western border with Poland, is preparing to stay completely without power supply and natural gas supply because of Russian missile attacks which have devastated Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks.
To cope with the coming winter, a major construction project is now underway in the city in order to facilitate a new wave of people fleeing from regions badly targeted by Russian missile strikes which involves both renovating existing modular houses and building new ones.
Amongst the current refugee population, there is a mix of fear ahead of the expected drop in temperatures as well as overall hope in Ukraine’s long-term ability to secure a victory in the war.
“We hope that we will move to a different location as it becomes cold in here,” Ksenia, a 17-year-old from New York — a town in Donetsk region situated near the current frontline — told ABC News. She has been living in Lviv since this summer, when warmer temperatures did not pose such a challenge, with her mother, grandmother, brother and two cats.
Maria, 45, from Zaporizhzhia, has tried to retain her optimism. Asked by ABC News about her family’s plans for the future, she said: “Only victory and a way back home.”
Both Maria’s brother and son are currently serving in the Ukrainian army and her husband, also a military serviceman, has been missing since 2015.
Maria’s mother, Olga says, the conditions were different in the summer when they just moved into a temporary house designed for the families of four people. Due to the building’s thin walls, it can get very wet inside the home — the walls, doors and even their beds are covered with condensation and, sometimes, even with fungus.
These modular houses were a result of an urgent decision made in the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to Mayor Sadovyi, five million people have moved through the city since late February and there were days when upwards of two million refugees were staying in Lviv at once.
“We were forced to come up with any decision to give these people an opportunity to sleep somewhere,” he said.
Now he plans to buy more powerful diesel generators to guarantee the city’s residents heating, even without complete electricity.
“Every medical facility and several boarding schools are supposed to have a generator as an alternative energy source, and a solid fuel boiler as a second heating source,” Sadovyi said.
A separate complex for young mothers and pregnant women was built in Lviv about three months earlier this year — a totally different type of accommodation that is resistant to low temperatures, is more comfortable and can house over 100 people at once.
Lilia Kilchytska, head of a charity called “Unbroken Mothers”, says that IDPs from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and other partially occupied regions live there at the moment.
To provide electricity and heating for the children and their mothers, the center has been granted a power generator by an international charity organization. It has already saved the families during the several blackouts caused by the Russian missile strikes.
A large number of refugees have lost their homes because of the war. Besides temporary shelters placed at dormitories, malls, theaters, schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure facilities, the administration is actively searching for long-term housing projects for IDPs.
Officials are currently considering buying, building or renovating enough square meters for the forced newcomers to the region but money is scarce, and authorities have said they require more donations and financial support if they are going to scale up their efforts.
At the moment, there are only 1,733 places for refugees to stay in these renovated buildings in Lviv over the upcoming winter.
That number, according to the authorities, pales in comparison to the potential flood of people who may leave their homes in other parts of Ukraine as Russian strikes continue this winter.
(BOSTON, Mass.) — Prince William thanked the “people of Boston” as he and his wife Kate arrived in the city to kick off their first U.S. tour in nearly a decade.
Their whirlwind tour ends with an awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, an initiative William launched in 2019 to create solutions for environmental problems.
This is William and Kate’s first visit to the United States since they visited New York City in 2014. It is also their first overseas trip since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September and their first overseas trip since taking on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.
“[William and Kate] are both excited for their first international trip since taking on their new roles,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told ABC News. “Both appreciate the history associated to the titles but understandably want to look to the future and pave their own paths.”
Check back for updates throughout their trip.
Wednesday: Prince and princess of Wales sit courtside at Celtics game
Following their visit to city hall, William and Kate headed to TD Garden for a basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
Kate donned a blue blazer while William wore a blue button down and dark blue blazer. They were all smiles as they cheered on Celtics courtside alongside Governor-elect Maura Healey, Celtics co-owners Steve Pagliuca and Wyc Grousebeck, and Grousebeck’s wife Emilia Fazzalari.
William and Kate light Boston green
William and Kate’s first stop on their Boston trip was Boston City Hall.
They were greeted by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the first woman and first person of color to be elected as mayor in the city last year, and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy.
In honor of the Earthshot Prize, which was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot Initiative, the couple helped light Boston buildings and landmarks green.
In his address to Mayor Wu and the crowd at Boston City Hall, Prince William thanked Wu and Reverend White-Hammond for their support for the Earthshot Prize. He also noted why Boston was the “obvious choice for the Earthshot Prize in its second year” and said he was inspired by President Kennedy’s moonshot speech to launch the Earthshot Prize.
“Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy’s ‘moonshot’ speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity,” Prince William began. “‘We chose to go to the moon,’ he said, ‘not because it is easy, but because it is hard.'”
“Where better to hold this year’s awards ceremony than in President Kennedy’s hometown, in partnership with his daughter and the foundation that continues in his name,” he added. “Boston was also the obvious choice because our universities, research centres and vibrant start-up scene make you a global leader in science, innovation and boundless ambition. Mayor Wu, you have also been a leader in putting climate policies at the heart of your administration. Thank you.”
“Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve,” William said. “We cannot wait to celebrate the Earthshot Prize later this week, and we are both looking forward to spending the next few days learning about the innovative ways the people of Massachusetts are tackling climate change.”
President Biden to greet Prince William and Kate in Boston on Friday
Earlier on Wednesday during a White House press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden “intends to greet the prince and princess of Wales” on Friday when he is in Boston. The White House previously announced that Biden would be in Boston this week for a fundraiser.
William and Kate arrive in Boston
Upon their arrival in Boston Wednesday morning, William said he and Kate are “delighted to be back in the United States.” He also used the moment to reflect about his grandmother, who celebrated her 1976 bicentennial in the U.S.
“On this, our first visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes to the late queen. She remembered her 1976 bicentennial visit with great fondness,” William said in a statement.
“My grandmother was one of life’s optimists. And so am I,” he added. “To the people of Boston, thank you. I’m so grateful to you for allowing us to host the second year of the Earthshot Prize in your great city. Catherine and I can’t wait to meet many of you in the days ahead.”
Spokesperson for William addresses racism accusations surrounding godmother
As William and Kate were making their way to Boston, a controversy erupted in the U.K. involving William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey.
Hussey, a longtime lady-in-waiting to the late queen, was accused of making racist remarks to an attendee at a reception hosted by Queen Escort Camilla on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace said it had launched an investigation into the allegation and said Hussey had “stepped aside from her honorary role.”
A spokesperson for William commented on the incident while briefing reporters ahead of William and Kate’s arrival in Boston.
“This is a matter for Buckingham Palace but as the Prince of Wales’ spokesperson, I appreciate you’re all here and understand you’ll want to ask about it. So let me address it head on,” the spokesperson said. “I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience at Buckingham Palace last night.”
He continued, “Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”
(WASHINGTON) — French President Emmanuel Macron told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he believes a negotiation is still “possible” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which Macron called a “huge mistake.”
Macron spoke with Stephanopoulos ahead of meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday for the first state dinner of Biden’s administration. In the interview, Macron talked about his visit to Washington and reinforcing France as the oldest ally of the U.S., especially during the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Stephanopoulos asked Macron about his vision for a “successful peace” in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February.
The French president stressed that such peace would need to be “sustainable” and driven by the Ukrainians.
“A good peace is not a peace which will be imposed to the Ukrainians by others, No. 1,” Macron said, adding, “A good peace is not a peace which will not be accepted on the mid-to-long run by one of the two parties.”
During Macron’s U.S. visit, he and Biden plan to address issues including economic ties between the two countries, challenges from China, Iran and the Middle East, and aligning how to best support Ukraine against Russia, according to the White House.
“I think President Putin made a huge mistake by launching this war,” Macron told Stephanopoulos, mentioning the Minsk agreements made between Ukraine and Russia after 2014 in an effort to prevent war.
Putin has since said he doesn’t recognize that deal.
“There was a political and diplomatic process with involvement of the international community. And he decided on his own, based on a fake narrative, saying NATO will use Ukraine to attack Russia, which is totally wrong,” Macron said.
Stephanopoulos asked: “Is a man who’s capable of making a decision like that, a mistaken decision like that, capable of negotiating what you call a good peace?”
“This is exactly the question,” Macron said.
But still, he said he hopes Putin will be “rational” with a negotiated end to the war.
“[Putin] is in charge and he’s been in charge for quite a long time … He knows his people. I think he made mistake,” Macron said. “Is it impossible to come back [to] the table and negotiate something? I think it’s still possible.”
