In the teaser trailer released Thursday for the upcoming film Elemental, Pixar introduces its new world that centers around the four elements — fire, air, earth and water — and what happens when their respective residents live together.
The trailer introduces Ember, a fiery young woman, who has a meet-cute with Wade, a person made of water, on a subway train in Element City. The train also shows earth and air people going about their day on public transit.
Disney said in a press release that Elemental is inspired by director Peter Sohn‘s childhood in New York.
“My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx,” he said in a statement. “We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams — all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages and beautiful little neighborhoods. That’s what led me to Elemental.”
He added, “Our story is based on the classic elements — fire, water, land and air. Some elements mix with each other, and some don’t. What if these elements were alive?”
Elemental is slated to premiere in June 2023.
Disney is the parent company of Pixar and ABC News.
(Note Content) In Bob Dylan’s recent book The Philosophy of Modern Song he shares some big praise for Elvis Costello and The Attractions, while insulting other artists in the process.
In an essay about Costello’s “Pump It Up,” Dylan writes, “Elvis Costello And The Attractions were a better band than any of their contemporaries. Light years better.” At least one of those contemporaries wasn’t too happy about that.
Earlier this month Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz had some strong opinions about Dylan’s comments, writing on Facebook, “With all due respect to the Attractions and to drummer Pete Thomas in particular, I’d like to say to Bob something he once said to a buddy of mine. ‘Suck a d***.”
Well, now, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Frantz is expanding on his thoughts, telling the mag, “When I read that, I just thought, ‘Jesus, Bob. I understand you dig Elvis Costello, but did you have to put it that way?’”
“I’m not trying to pit the Heads against any of the bands of that era,” Frantz notes. “There were so many good bands then, and I spent many nights at CBGB and saw a lot of superior performances,” adding, “But I would say to Bob, ‘How are you making such a sweeping generalization?’ I think it’s a very good book—despite that one chapter.”
Barry Manilow is heading out on a short tour next year. The 79-year-old singer has announced a new tour, Manilow: Hits 2023, presented by World of Westgate.
The seven-night, limited engagement arena tour will have Manilow performing some of his biggest tunes, including tracks like “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Can’t Smile Without You” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).”
The tour is set to kick off January 13 in Sunrise, Florida, hitting Tampa, Savannah, Orlando, Atlanta and Nashville, before wrapping in Charlotte, North Carolina, on January 21.
“We are going to kick off 2023 having fun,” Manilow shares. “I can’t wait to see everyone!”
Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
The Fast and the Furious franchise started in 2001 as a street racing movie, but has since become something of a car-adjacent James Bond series: After all, Fast 9 saw “family” members Tej and Roman literally blasting off into space.
However, all that ante-upping comes at a price — a massive one, according to The Wrap.
The site says the 10th installment in the blockbuster series has a blockbuster budget to match: $340 million.
By comparison, the site notes, its previous installment, Fast 9, had a budget of $200 million: No small potatoes by any stretch, but some 70% less expensive than Fast X — and that was even including its ludicrous (or Ludacris) space race.
With the price tag from paying star and executive producer Vin Diesel and other returning stars’ salaries, as well as the over-the-top stunts, inflation, COVID safety regulations and marketing, Fast X might have to make at least $500 million before Universal Pictures can break even.
While previous entries in the franchise have easily cleared that much dough — with Fast 7 grossing a series-best $1.5 billion globally, pre-pandemic — the site notes the likely diminishing returns for Universal Pictures in a franchise that still has a series-capping 11th film in the works.
Lady Gaga‘s already won an Oscar for a song she wrote for a movie, but it turns out she’s just as happy to be nominated for a Grammy for another song she wrote for a different movie.
“Hold My Hand,” Gaga’s song from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack, is up for Best Song Written for Visual Media. She’s also nominated for contributing to the soundtrack, which is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
On Instagram, she writes, “I am so honored to be nominated for 2 Grammys for ‘Hold My Hand’ and the Top Gun: Maverick Soundtrack with my fellow composers. It’s a real dream to be included in this celebration of music with a song and musical theme so close to my heart thank you. I fully cried, this never gets old and I’m super humbled.”
“Hold My Hand” peaked at #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s one of two hits from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack, the other being OneRepublic‘s smash “I Ain’t Worried.”
In the Best Song Written for Visual Media category, Gaga’s got some tough competition: The other nominees include movie songs written by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Kelly Clarkson knows the holidays can be a stressful time, so she’s giving fans the chance to calm down with some personalized gear for those holiday spirits.
“My signature engraved wine tumbler is back in stock, y’all… and now it’s bundled with my engraved wine opener!” Kelly tweeted on Wednesday, sharing an animated graphic of the latest holiday merch to hit her store.
Kelly’s signature wine bundle comes with a shimmery, gold tumbler, a matching wine opener and a cranberry-colored tee shirt that has “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me?” emblazoned in gold, cursive lettering on the chest.
The shirt promotes Kelly’s holiday single of the same name, which featured Ariana Grande and appeared on her When Christmas Comes Around… holiday album that came out last year. It should be noted the album scored a Grammy nod for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and is now Kelly’s 16th career nomination.
Fans can shop Kelly’s holiday merch on her online store. The singer notes that if you want any of her items by Christmas, you need to order soon.
(VALLETTA, Malta) — Malta announced Wednesday it is easing its abortion laws, becoming the last country in the European Union to end a total ban on the procedure.
The Mediterranean nation, located off the coast of Sicily, does not allow women to receive an abortion, including in cases of rape or incest.
However, Health Minister Chris Fearne said the government will amend the law to allow termination of a pregnancy if the mother’s life or health is at risk.
A legislative amendment will be presented to its Parliament next week allowing abortion if the mother is at risk of death and the fetus is not developed enough to be delivered.
Currently, Malta’s criminal code states any providers who perform an abortion to save the mother’s life — or women who receive an abortion — could face up to four years in prison.
“The choice isn’t whether the mother or the baby survive. The choice here is whether the mother and baby both dies, or whether the mother’s life is saved,” Fearne told reporters, according to Reuters.
“We don’t believe that after going through this ordeal the woman should face the possibility of imprisonment,” Fearne said.
The change was spurred after an American pregnant woman nearly died in the country because doctors refused to perform an abortion.
Andrea Prudente was 16 weeks pregnant when she and her partner Jay Weeldreyer decided to go on a two-week “babymoon” to Malta.
One week into the trip, Prudente was rushed to the hospital after she began bleeding profusely. Doctors told her the placenta had separated from the uterus — a condition known as placental abruption — and she was miscarrying.
Prudente was told the pregnancy was no longer viable and she was at risk of hemorrhaging if she didn’t have an abortion.
However, due to Malta’s strict abortion laws, doctors were unable to perform the procedure.
After days of communicating with their midwife back in the U.S., Prudente and Weeldreyer were able to get their insurance company to organize an emergency flight to Spain, where an abortion could be performed.
“This baby can’t live,” Weeldreyer told ABC News at the time. “And the fact that Andrea’s being forced to suffer as a consequence of it is barbaric. Like … it’s inexcusable. It’s been a long grind. She’s been through the wringer,” he said.
In September, the couple sued Malta’s government, arguing the ban is unconstitutional and violates the European Convention of Human Rights. The case has yet to go to trial.
Malta is a predominantly Catholic country with most residents favoring abortion restrictions. One recent poll found 61.8% of Maltese do not believe abortion should be decriminalized.
The poll showed 27.8% of survey respondents believe abortion should be legal in some circumstances while 8.3% said it should be legal in all cases.
Malta is one of only five countries in Europe where abortion is severely restricted, which includes Andorra, Liechtenstein, Poland and Vatican City.
Doja Cat may be brimming with confidence, but the hitmaker admits she used to be extremely insecure.
Speaking to the Audible series Origins, Doja reflected on her start in the industry and how her anxiety made her feel insecure.
She recalled going into a fitting and experiencing her first panic or anxiety attack. While she didn’t know what she had, she said she “was terrified.”
“I just sat down with this girl and she sat in front of me. [It] felt a little intense… and I remember her eyes just getting bigger and bigger and I just got so scared,” she recalled. “I could not breathe.”
Doja said she continues to have these “anxiety panic attacks” and explained, “I have full on anxiety.” She noted, “I just think it’s a natural thing that happens to people who are constantly the center of the production.”
“I actually had a problem at one point where I was doing all these music videos… I wouldn’t ask to see the screen,” she said. “I didn’t want to see what I looked like in that shot.”
The singer continued, “I had a really hard time seeing myself in the music video after not being able to see the monitor, and I’d see myself and be like, ‘Oh my God, I approved that? Why did I let myself look like that?'”
So, what changed? She said collaborating with Ariana Grande, Bebe Rexha and Megan Thee Stallion on their music videos gave her confidence a much-needed boost.
“I saw them be like, ‘Let me see, let me see.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s the smartest thing to do!’ Because how the f*** would you know what you look like?” she recalled. “I needed that so badly. Now I feel just so aware.”
You can catch Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band on the Iowa Speedway next summer.
All three superstar country acts have signed on to play the Hy-Vee Indycar Race Weekend, with Carrie and Kenny taking the stage on Saturday, July 22. The next day, ZBB will rock out with the racing fans, sharing the bill with pop superstar Ed Sheeran.
In 2022, over 80,000 fans turned out to celebrate the jam-packed weekend of racing and music. Next year’s event promises to be even more special, with the weekend planned for the 2023 NTT Indycar Series schedule.
The Hy-Vee Indycar Race Weekend is set for July 21-23, 2023. Tickets go on sale to the general public on December 5, but fans can register now for a pre-sale that will open prior to the onsale date.
Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke are taking their reunion from the live stage to the studio.
Following their joint performance in New York City back in September, the former The Smiths bandmates have released a new song together. The tune, titled “Strong Forever,” was recorded with Rourke’s band Blitz Vega and marks the first time he and Marr have played together on a recording since The Smiths broke up in 1987.
“I wanted [for the song] exactly what Johnny does,” Rourke tells Rolling Stone. “He has a very distinctive sound, and that’s what he did. We love what he brought to the track.”
Rourke notes that he and Marr have “remained friends” over the years.
“We’ve known each other since we were 13 years old,” Rourke says. “[Marr’s] my oldest and dearest friend and I feel our friendship gets stronger as time passes.”
Of course, such is not the case with every member of The Smiths: Marr and frontman Morrissey have long been estranged.
