Matthew McConaughey understands the importance of a good mentor, because he had one in the late Don Phillips.
The actor told ABC Audio Phillips did far more than help him get cast in Dazed and Confused, his first major movie where he starred as Wooderson. “He’s the guy who said, ‘You can sleep on my couch when you get out to Hollywood,'” McConaughey recalled. It was mid-August, 1993, and he had “less than 500 bucks to my name.”
Phillips also gave McConaughey some tough love when he was anxious about getting an agent. The Oscar-winning actor recalled, “He … sat me down and actually cussed me out and said, ‘No. You’re not ready because you’re too anxious. You need an agent too much right now and they’re going to smell your desperation. And if they smell you’re desperate, you’ll never have a chance in Hollywood.'”
“He was right,” McConaughey remarked. “So I got patient and started doing some other work, forgot about getting an agent. And he comes by one day and he goes, ‘Now you’re ready.'”
“Next day [I] went in. Had that meeting, was relaxed, was myself [and I] got an agent in my first two reads and ended up getting the job. And that was how my career started,” McConaughey reflected.
Now, he’s paying it forward by teaming up with Wild Turkey and Spaceflight Records for a new mentorship program called 101 Bold Nights. Emerging artists or bands can apply to be mentored by Spaceflight and learn “the ways to make it forward and how to navigate getting into this game [from the right people],” said McConaughey, who added, “Getting in the door can be the hardest thing.”
Phillips, a prolific casting director, passed away in November 2021. He was 80.
David O. Russell wants to welcome you to Amsterdam.
His latest film, in theaters Friday, has two main themes — fascism and friendship — running though this star studded film, featuring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Taylor Swift, and more. Mike Myers plays a mysterious government agent, and he tells ABC Audio the politics of Amsterdam play second fiddle to the story of Bale, Robbie, and Washington’s character’s friendship.
“This dealt with that in the best possible way, which is three friends who make their own family together, set against this situation. And they’re wrongfully accused of a crime and they have to clear their name,” he explains. “And that’s my favorite delivery system of talking about big important things, is that the plot and the people you’re invested in.”
It’s those big ideas that drew Myers to the role of a mysterious government agent who is fighting fascism in the 1930s, ahead of World War II.
“You know, my parents were in World War Two. My dad was in the Royal Engineers and my mom was in the Royal Air Force,” Myers says. “And when they talked about World War Two, they didn’t talk about fighting the Germans or the Italians. They talked about fighting the fascists.”
Myers’ character also has a knack for cuckoo birds. What do cuckoo birds have to do with fascism?
“The Cuckoo actually co-opts people’s nests, and I thought that was a great metaphor for what happens with fascism,” he shares. “Fascism is neither really a political system, nor is it an economic system. It’s a parasitic system. It’s an aesthetic movement. And generally, fascism will come in, steal somebody else’s nest.”
Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images) SpaceX And T-Mobile Hold Joint Event In Texas
(NEW YORK) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed the completion of a deal to acquire Twitter on Tuesday, reversing a monthslong effort to terminate the agreement.
Musk — the richest person in the world, according to Forbes — put forward a proposal to Twitter that would complete the deal at Musk’s original offer price of $54.20 a share at a total cost of roughly $44 billion, a person familiar with the proposal told ABC News.
In a statement, Twitter said it plans to agree to a deal at the price proposed by Musk.
“We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the SEC,” the company said on Tuesday. “The intention of the Company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share.”
Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk in July over his effort to terminate an acquisition agreement. That trial is set to begin in less than two weeks.
Musk reached an acquisition deal with Twitter in April, but over the ensuing weeks, he raised concerns over spam accounts on the platform, claiming Twitter had not provided him with an accurate estimate of their number.
Twitter rebuked that claim, saying it had provided Musk with information in accordance with conditions set out in the acquisition deal.
“This is a clear sign that Musk recognized heading into Delaware Court that the chances of winning vs. the Twitter board was highly unlikely and this $44 billion deal was going to be completed one way or another,” Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at Wedbush, an investment firm, told ABC News Tuesday in an email.
The move from Musk marks the latest reversal of course in a saga that started in January when the billionaire first invested in Twitter. By March, Musk had become the largest stakeholder in Twitter and the following month the social media company announced that Musk would join its board. Days later, however, Musk said he had decided against joining the board.
In April, Musk offered to buy Twitter at $54.20 per share, valuing the company at about $44 billion. The offer amounted to a 38% premium above where the price stood a day before Musk’s investment in Twitter became public. Roughly 10 days later, Twitter accepted Musk’s offer.
One month later, however, Musk said he had put the deal “temporarily on hold,” citing concern over what he said was the prevalence of bot and spam accounts on the platform. Roughly two hours later, Musk said he was “still committed” to the deal.
Eventually, Musk moved to terminate the deal in July. Soon after, Twitter sued Musk in Chancery Court in Delaware to force him to complete the deal.
A scheduling decision made by the court in July — to hold the trial over five days in October — appeared to align more closely with a timeline requested by Twitter, which had sought a four-day trial in September. Musk asked the court to set a trial date no earlier than mid-February 2023.
Now, according to the deal, the court case is off if the two sides reach a deal.
Twitter stock closed Tuesday at $52.01, up 22% for the day.
(NEW YORK) — Babe Ruth and Roger Maris are in the rearview mirror.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his American League record 62nd home run Tuesday.
After nearly a week of waiting, Judge led off the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader with a towering shot to left field against the Texas Rangers.
Maris held the AL record for 61 years — hitting 61 home runs in 1961 — after besting fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle in a duel to surpass the Babe. Ruth had hit 60 home runs in 1927.
Judge tied Ruth with his 60th on Sept. 20 with a solo shot in the ninth inning against the Pirates. The homer sparked a five-run rally for the Yankees with a walk-off grand slam by Giancarlo Stanton.
After seven games without a home run, including a series against the rival Red Sox in the Bronx, the Yankees slugger broke through in the seventh inning Sept. 28 in Toronto to tie Maris. The two-run home run broke a 3-3 tie with the Blue Jays and came one night after the Yankees clinched the AL East title.
Barry Bonds holds the MLB record with 73 home runs in 2001.
Judge, 30, has had a magical season as he pursues what will now likely be a bank-breaking contract extension. Judge turned down the Yankees’ final offer in spring training and said he would not negotiate during the final season on his current contract.
Instead, he’s done all the negotiating necessary with his eye-popping stats.
In addition to hitting 62 home runs, he’s in the hunt to win the AL triple crown — leading in homers, batting average and runs batted in. He leads by a wide margin in home runs and RBI, and is locked in a battle with Minnesota’s Luis Arráez for the batting crown. Miguel Cabrera was the last player to accomplish that feat when he did so in 2012. Cabrera was the first to win the triple crown since 1967.
Judge could lead both leagues in all triple crown categories, something that hasn’t been accomplished since Mantle in 1956.
Judge is only the sixth person to hit 60 home runs in a season. Bonds, Mark McGwire (twice), Sammy Sosa (three times), Maris and Ruth have all crossed the plateau, but Bonds, McGwire and Sosa have all been tainted by the so-called Steroid Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Maris’ family, including his two sons, Roger Jr. and Kevin, attended games at Yankee Stadium to catch the record-breaking homer. Roger Jr. made the trip to Toronto to see Judge hits his 61st home run, sitting one row behind the Yankees’ dugout with Judge’s mother.
(WASHINGTON) — Less than 24 hours after accusing his father of “destroying” lives following a report in the Daily Beast that an ex-girlfriend claimed Georgia GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker paid the cost of her abortion more than a decade ago, Christian Walker has doubled down on his scathing response in a pair of videos on Tuesday.
The younger Walker, an outspoken conservative social media personality and podcast host, accused his father of repeatedly lying throughout the campaign, which also faced reports of Walker’s alleged extramarital affairs and “secret” children months ago.
“I stayed silent as the atrocities against my mom were downplayed. I stayed silent when it came out that my father Herschel Walker had all these random kids across the country – none of whom he raised. And you know my favorite issue to talk about is father absence. Surprise! Because it affected me. That’s why I talk about it all the time. Because it affected me,” Christian Walker said in a video Tuesday morning.
“Family values people? He has four kids, four different women. Wasn’t in the house raising one of them. He was out having sex with other women. Do you care about family values? It was silent lie, after lie, after lie.”
Christian Walker went on to address parts of the Daily Beast’s recent reporting that Herschel Walker reimbursed a woman for the cost of an abortion.
Herschel Walker has denied the reports about affairs and paying for anyone’s abortion. The former football star said he will file a defamation lawsuit against the Daily Beast during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Monday.
“I can tell you right now, I never asked anyone to get an abortion,” Walker told Sean Hannity. “I never paid for an abortion — it’s a lie.”
ABC News has not been able to confirm the Daily Beast’s reporting.
“The abortion card drops yesterday – it’s literally his handwriting in the card. They say they have receipts – whatever. He gets on Twitter, he lies about it. OK, I’m done,” Christian Walker said. “Everything has been a lie.”
Hershel Walker is battling against incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. He’s maintained a staunch anti-abortion position as a candidate, aligning himself with a bill proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would institute a national ban on most abortions after 15 weeks.
“I am a proud pro-life Christian, and I will always stand up for our unborn children. I believe the issue should be decided at the state level, but I WOULD support this policy,” Walker said after Graham announced the measure.
Christian Walker said he and his mother, Cindy Grossman, had the opportunity to tank his father’s campaign on “day one” – but have opted to stay silent on assurances that Herschel Walker would “get ahead of his past” on the campaign trail. Grossman has accused her ex-husband of threatening to choke and shoot her. She recounted her experience in a 2008 interview with ABC News’ Bob Woodruff.
“We were talking and the next thing I knew,” Grossman said during the interview, “he just kind of raged and he got a gun and put it to my temple.'”
Walker said in a 2008 interview that he does not remember the incident, though not disputing the claims. “If I can remember it, I’ll talk about it,” he said.
After retiring from football, according to his memoir, “Breaking Free,” Walker’s mental health and 16-year marriage deteriorated. He discussed the book in a 2008 interview with “Nightline,” telling ABC News that many of his struggles stemmed from what he described as a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.
Walker has said that he has made a full recovery and taken responsibility for any past transgressions.
“Herschel addressed these issues in detail with Bob Woodruff 14 years ago — he even wrote a book about it,” Mallory Blount, a spokesperson for the Walker campaign, told ABC News in May. “The same reporters who praised him for his courage are now trashing him because he is a Republican.”
But in his book, Walker does not address several claims about his behavior — some of which are documented in police records. Walker did not write, for example, about allegations that he once held a gun to his ex-wife’s head.
“I haven’t told any stories. I’m just saying don’t lie. Don’t lie on my mom, don’t lie on me. Don’t lie on the lives you’ve destroyed and act like you’re some moral family man.” Christian Walker said on Tuesday.
Though a prominent conservative firebrand, Christian Walker has not appeared in a major way with his father on the trail. He said he attended one event with his father last year, but nothing since.
Herschel Walker seldom mentions Christian Walker on the campaign trail. One time of note, however, was when the candidate shared with supporters that he told his son “you’re not that special” before he went to college.
In a follow-up Twitter video, Christian said a litany of Republicans have called him asking him why he isn’t stumping for his father. He claims he told them he isn’t getting involved and refuted commentators who have attempted to extrapolate the relationship between him and his father based on social media posts.
“For certain political pundits to pull up old pictures I’ve posted of my dad thinking they can police and determine my relationship with my dad was…if you want to pull stuff up, I’ll pull stuff up. Don’t try me. Don’t test my authenticity,” Christian Walker said.
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Isabella Murray contributed to this report.
(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — Brenna Lyons, a young mom living with her husband and toddler son in Augusta, Georgia, suffered a miscarriage last spring.
The procedure she required to remove tissue from her uterus was the same used for a woman getting an abortion, called a “dilation and curettage.”
At the time, Georgia’s six-week abortion ban wasn’t in place. And because her fetus no longer had a heartbeat, she shouldn’t have been impacted by the law anyway.
Still, Lyons wonders: Had the law been different at the time, would her doctors have believed her that she was miscarrying? Could they have denied her the procedure to avoid legal trouble? Would she have been forced to pass the pregnancy at home by herself instead of getting help right away?
Lyons, who is pregnant again, says those questions haunt her and her female friends with similar experiences. And they are fired up to vote next month.
“I have friends in Arkansas who have voiced the same kind of concern that the law just puts that hesitance there, that pause” on what’s legal and what’s not, she said.
“Whereas when we had a constitutional right (to an abortion), our doctors felt like they could do what they needed to do to protect us,” she said.
As the nation inches toward a midterm election next month where Republicans have high hopes of major gains, poll watchers are eyeing whether women like Lyons and her friends could become a kind of wild card that tips the outcome of close races.
According to a survey released Tuesday and paid for by the right-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute, abortion rights now dominate what younger female voters care about – surpassing inflation, crime and immigration by a significant margin.
Also, young women overwhelmingly say abortion should be legal, including nearly half who say there should be no restrictions on it at all.
While it’s unclear if that passion might translate into actual votes – the survey was taken in August with the midterm elections still weeks away – today’s abortion debate is emerging as a kind of “generational defining moment” in US politics that could impact future elections, said Dan Cox, director of AEI’s Survey Center on American Life.
“No one cares about this issue more than young women,” he said. “In fact, and I’ve never seen this before in roughly 15 years of polling, abortion is ranking as the most important issue” in that group.
AEI’s survey released Tuesday echoed similar findings that Democrats hope will sway tight races.
The final impact though is far from clear. Complicating the election outlook is that the woman most directly impacted by abortion restrictions – namely Black women living in the South where bans are most prominent — aren’t the majority of voters.
In Georgia, for example, before it’s six-week ban took effect this summer, Black women sought out 65 percent of the abortions in the state, compared to 21 percent of whites, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control of and Prevention.
Advocates say poverty and a lack of affordable health care, including contraceptives, are to blame.
Yet, the majority of voters in Georgia’s recent elections are white and over 65 — a demographic typically more concerned with inflation and cost of living, than abortion. That’s a major liability for a candidate like Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is running again for Georgia governor after narrowly losing four years ago to Republican Brian Kemp.
Jasmine Keith, an Atlanta-based organizer for the New Georgia Project, a voter rights group originally founded by Abrams, wants to change that equation.
Keith spent a recent weekend handing out emergency conception with voter guides at a block party in a Walmart parking lot in South Fulton. Another weekend, she helped to host an event at a roller-skating rink called “Rollin’ With Repro” for “an afternoon of roller skating, reproductive justice and voter education.”
The majority of people she speaks with are young and Black, like her, and very concerned, she said.
“A lot of people don’t know,” she said of Georgia’s six-week ban. “And when they do find out, I feel like it’s a push for them” to vote.
Emily Greene, who runs the organization’s Augusta office and has been working on voter engagement efforts since she was a teen, said she’s sensed a difference in voters this election.
“They’re just ready … They want to go. They won’t be pushed back down,” Greene said of voters.
But to political strategists and pollsters like Cox, the question remains whether voters passionately in favor of abortion rights will show up at the polls this November in a new way.
Lyons, for example, is a long-time voter who said she would have punched a ticket for Democrats anyway.
“For certain constituencies, for certain segments of the population, I think it’s going to have profound political impacts long term,” said Cox.
For Lysons, she has decided to speak up more on the issue.
Her goal? “Hopefully be a voice for someone who feels like they can’t speak up, can’t be heard, can’t make it to the polls,” she said.
(FORT MYERS, Fla.) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s southwestern coast, search and rescue efforts are ongoing, as the region takes steps to recover from the devastating storm.
Lee County — home to Fort Myers and the barrier islands Sanibel and Pine — was especially hard-hit by the powerful Category 4 storm, with Fort Myers Beach frequently referred to as “ground zero” by local officials.
At least 55 people died due to Ian in the coastal county, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office — more than half of the 100 storm-related fatalities statewide reported so far.
The damage in the county is widespread: Power infrastructure has been destroyed, boil water notices are in place, debris — from trees to boats — block roads, more than half of traffic lights are out and barrier islands are inaccessible by car.
As the community attempts to take stock of the storm’s impact, it is still unsafe for many residents to return to the area, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno warned.
“I need patience,” Marceno said during a press briefing Tuesday. “We know people want to get back. They want to see their homes. They want to see if they have a home. They want to grab a photo album — things that cannot be replaced by insurance or money.
“We want to make sure we give people when it’s safe, the first second it’s safe, a chance to do that,” he continued.
Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said it could be “30 days as a minimum” before people are safely able to go back.
“It is really dangerous to be in Fort Myers Beach right now,” Desjarlais said during a press briefing Monday. “There is no power. There is no water.”
Search and rescue efforts ongoing
More than 840 rescues have been conducted in Lee County since Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, Marceno said Tuesday.
Marceno said crews are currently following up search efforts of properties and identifying if anyone is in need or is unaccounted for, as the search and rescue mission continues “around the clock.”
“We’re probably still another three to four days left in search and rescue and recovery,” he said Tuesday. “So that’s a rough time frame that could go in either direction.”
Desjarlais said it is unclear how many people are unaccounted for. Eight urban search and rescue teams are working to locate residences and if there are any deceased people in the rubble to preserve evidence before heavy equipment is brought in, local officials said.
Restoring barrier island access
Ian knocked out the main modes of transport to several of Lee County’s islands. The Sanibel Causeway, which connects the island to the mainland, and the Matlacha Pass Bridge, which connects nearby Pine Island to the mainland in Cape Coral, were destroyed.
The Florida National Guard has been airlifting vehicles and other assets onto Pine and Sanibel islands, as well as evacuating people. The U.S. Coast Guard has also been running waterborne evacuations for residents of the islands.
In the short term, the state Department of Transportation is working on building a temporary gravel bridge to Pine Island.
“These repairs are needed for first responders and residents to access the island, as well as other recovery efforts such as power restoration and debris removal,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said in a press release this week.
The bridge is on track to open by Saturday, officials said.
“This is not gonna be a bridge you’re going to want to drive 45 mph over … but at least you’ll have connectivity to the mainland,” DeSantis said during a press briefing Monday.
He said his administration would be trying something “similar” for the causeway to Sanibel Island, with a bid process underway.
The county is working on a temporary ferry service to assist residents of Sanibel Island, with boat access currently restricted to approved contractors and residents, Marceno said.
Turning on power and water
Nearly half of the county remains without power, according to state data.
DeSantis said Monday that the electrical co-op for the state of Florida will be sending 1,000 additional linemen from across the state to help Lee County’s power restoration efforts. The National Guard will begin flying electrical personnel onto Pine and Sanibel islands, he said.
The Lee County Electric Co-op has bumped up its restoration timeline to Saturday from Oct. 23 for all impacted areas except for Pine Island and Sanibel, the governor’s office said.
The water is slowly being restored as water pressure normalizes, Desjarlais said Monday. The Army Corps of Engineers is working to identify and assess several fractures in water infrastructure as part of the efforts to restore running water in Lee County. Some residents who have running water may be under a boil water notice.
In the meantime, the state and Florida National Guard have set up several distribution points for food, water and ice throughout mainland Lee County.
Public schools temporarily closed
Due to the lack of power and water, as well as damage to buildings, Lee County public schools are closed this week, the district said.
The damage to school buildings is varied, school leaders said.
“We have some schools that we believe are ready to open, others need minimal work,” Lee County School District Superintendent Christopher Bernier said in a video message Monday. “Some of our schools will require significant repairs and, as expected, there are a few that have damage that may be beyond repair.”
Building inspectors are conducting more comprehensive assessments, and some students and staff may be relocated depending on the damage, he said.
“This is not going to stop us from opening our schools as soon as we can,” Bernier said. “While we are not opening this week, we are certainly not waiting until January.”
ABC News’ Matt Foster and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.
A two-night benefit concert series celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.‘s 1982 debut EP, Chronic Town, will take place in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia, this December.
The lineup for both shows includes Black Crowes co-founders Rich and Chris Robinson, Hootie and the Blowfish‘s Darius Rucker, Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, longtime Black Crowes bassist Sven Pipien, The Dream Syndicate‘s Steve Wynn and ex-Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin.
Rich, Barrett and Sven will serve as the concerts’ house band.
Saturday Night Live alum/musician Fred Armisen, actor John Cameron Mitchell, Drivin N Cryin and Let’s Active‘s Mitch Easter, who produced Chronic Town, are also on the bill. David Cross will host the events.
In addition, The Indigo Girls will be playing at the Athens show.
The concerts will feature performances of Chronic Town‘s five songs, as well as other fan favorites.
The Athens concert will be held December 14 at the 40 Watt Club. Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday, October 11, at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets for the Atlanta show, which will take place at the Coca-Cola Roxy theater on December 15, go on sale to the general public Friday, October 7, at 10 a.m. ET, while a fan presale will begin October 6 at 10 a.m. ET.
“Growing up in Atlanta in the 1980s, R.E.M. was the preeminent band of that era,” says Rich. “Their music was a huge influence not only on the Atlanta music scene but also on my brother and me. I’m so happy to be able to put together this celebration for a band that meant so much to us and music, and Chronic Town is what started it all.”
Yellowstone fans apparently couldn’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the fifth season of the smash Paramount+ series: its new trailer was watched 14.4 million times in the 24 hours after it was released September 29.
The coming attraction was watched four times more than the trailer to season 4, according to the streaming service.
What’s more, the trailer sparked loads of conversations online: The new snippet — which showed Kevin Costner‘s John Dutton being sworn in as the governor of Montana, caused 1.7 million engagements on social media on the day it debuted.
Yellowstone‘s highly anticipated season 5 kicks off on Sunday, November 13, with two new episodes.
Kelly Clarkson saluted Jennifer Lopez on her daytime talk show by choosing to belt out “Waiting for Tonight” during her ending segment, Kellyoke. The singer opted for a super stripped-down version, accompanied by just an acoustic guitar to open the passionate and pining performance before the rest of her band slowly joined.
If you want to channel The Weeknd‘s After Hours era for Halloween — you’re in luck. The hitmaker is out with the official costume, complete with shades, a red jacket and pair of black leather gloves. The Weeknd notes “Halloween is just around the corner” and that people should order the costume on his official website before October 10 so it’ll arrive by Halloween.
Pink is showing off the serious pipes her 11-year-old daughter, Willow, has. The singer shared a video of her daughter playing on a skateboard — and she is wearing a helmet and knee pads — while singing at the top of her lungs. Fans were unable to identify the song and believe this is teasing a new collab between the two, just like their pandemic hit “Cover Me In Sunshine.”
Blake Shelton had the sweetest shout-out for wife Gwen Stefani on her 53rd birthday. Sharing a photo of them walking hand in hand, he wrote, “Happy birthday to my beautiful wife @gwenstefani!!! I love you so freakin much!!!!” Gwen shared the tribute to her Instagram Story and included three red heart emojis. She revealed he also bought her a massive flower bouquet.
Sara Bareilles will support victims of domestic violence at a charity concert set for Thursday, October 6, at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York. Proceeds benefit the Pace Women’s Justice Center. The show starts at 8 p.m. ET.
