X Ambassadors vocalist Sam Harris and All Time Low‘s Alex Gaskarth “rock and roll all night” as members of KISS in a new clip from the upcoming film Spinning Gold.
The movie is a biopic about Neil Bogart, who founded the label Casablanca Records and helped launch the careers of artists like KISS, Donna Summer, Parliament and Village People.
The clip shows Bogart, played by Tony-nominated actor Jeremy Jordan, being led backstage at a KISS concert just as they’re playing their signature song “Rock and Roll All Nite” for the enthusiastic crowd. We also get brief looks at Harris playing guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley and Gaskarth playing drummer Peter Criss.
Spinning Gold — which was written and directed by Bogart’s son, Timothy Scott Bogart — will be shown Thursday during an industry-only screening at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö to the White House on Thursday to discuss their historic bids to join NATO.
All three leaders called for swift acceptance of the applications amid resistance from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced Thursday that his country will oppose Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
“The bottom line is simple, quite straightforward,” Biden said in remarks in the Rose Garden. “Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger.”
The two nation’s formally submitted their applications on Wednesday as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is about to enter its fourth month. Finland and Sweden said they made the decision to join the alliance after seeing strong support from the public and the backing from their respective governments.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters he welcomed the move, calling the countries the alliance’s “closest partners.”
“All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference. “We all agree that we must stand together. And we all agree that this is an historic moment, which we must seize.”
Their request must be approved by all of NATO’s 30 member countries, making Erdogan’s objection a potential headache.
“We have told our relevant friends we would say ‘no’ to Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, and we will continue on our path like this,” Erdogan said in a video statement on Thursday.
Erdogan has been critical of both countries, stating he perceives them as being supportive of groups Turkey views as extremist — including the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Both Sweden’s prime minister and Finland’s president addressed Turkey’s disapproval during their visit to the White House.
“Finland has always had proud and good bilateral relations to Turkey,” Niinistö said. “As NATO allies, we will commit to Turkey’s security, just as Turkey will commit to our security. We take terrorism seriously, we condemn terrorism in all its forms and we are actively engaged in combating it. We are open to discussing all the concerns Turkey may have concerning our membership in an open and constructive manner.”
Andersson said Sweden is having dialogues with all NATO members, Turkey included, to sort out any issues at hand.
Despite Turkey’s opposition, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC White House Correspondent MaryAlice Parks on Wednesday the administration is “confident at the end of the day” that Finland and Sweden “will have an effective and efficient accession process” and that “Turkey’s concerns can be addressed.”
Sullivan also warned that the U.S. “will not tolerate any aggression against Finland or Sweden” as their applications are being considered.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met in New York on Wednesday to “reaffirm their strong cooperation as partners and NATO allies,” according to a joint statement.
“They discussed ways and assessed concrete steps to enhance their cooperation on defense issues, counterterrorism, energy and food security, combatting climate change and boosting trade ties, while agreeing to intensify consultations on a range of regional issues,” the statement read.
Justin Bieber‘s had so many hits that you can be forgiven if you don’t remember a few of them. But the video for one of them — which he released back in 2012 — has just become his 11th video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube.
Remember that time Justin collaborated with Nicki Minaj on a song called “Beauty And A Beat“? Appearing on his third studio album, Believe, the song was co-written by Nicki, Zedd, Max Martin and others, and produced by Zedd and Martin. The song peaked at #5, but the video, filmed in a water park in L.A., set a new record on Vevo for the most views in 24 hours, racking up 10.6 million.
Now that “Beauty And A Beat” has hit a billion views, it joins Justin’s 10 other videos to achieve that milestone, which include “Baby,” “Sorry,” “Love Yourself,” “Let Me Love You,” “What Do You Mean?” and “Cold Water.”
(WASHINGTON) — As so many parents still scour grocery shelves for baby formula the head of the Food and Drug Administration faced congressional lawmakers Thursday, amid the nationwide shortage that has ricocheted across the country and struck at the core of American families’ urgent need to feed their children.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf’s appearance before a House Appropriations subcommittee comes just hours after President Joe Biden announced new steps to ramp up the federal response to the crisis, a problem that had been brewing for months.
On Wednesday evening, Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to help expedite domestic manufacturing and allow military aircraft to fly formula into the U.S. from overseas. Yet, even with Biden’s action, top FDA officials have predicted that the the nation is still “weeks” away from seeing enough infant formula on the shelves.
It all comes as the administration faces mounting pressure from the American public clamoring for formula relief, with the issue used as a political cudgel by Republicans — and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioning whether the FDA responded with sufficient transparency and efficiency.
The critical shortage has been fueled by a perfect storm of circumstances, including pandemic supply chain disruptions, and the largest domestic formula manufacturer’s plant being shut down in February, following contamination issues at the factory which had been linked to four infants being hospitalized with a rare but serious bacterial infection, two of whom ultimately died.
Califf was expected to face tough scrutiny over whether the agency prioritized getting Abbott’s plant back online, and why FDA did not act sooner to mitigate the looming supply shortages.
At the hearing, Appropriations Committee chair Rosa DeLauro D-Conn., underscored what she said was the need to “get to the bottom of FDA’s slow response, which contributed to product staying on the shelves, and in the homes of families the country over, potentially putting babies at risk and forcing parents to play a game of Russian Roulette that they did not know they were playing.”
“Why did the FDA not spring into action?” DeLauro said, pointing to the time it took for the agency to make the recall of several of Abbott’s brands, following reports of contamination at their plant and allegations of ongoing quality control concerns.
“It makes me question which side the FDA is on,” DeLauro said. “Are they on the side of Abbott, and industry, or on the side of the American consumer, in this case babies and their moms and dads?”
In his opening remarks Califf recognized American families’ anxieties at the shortage.
“We know many parents and caregivers are feeling frustrated,” Califf said. “This crisis has shown us the impact of having a single manufacturer cease production for a brief period, and unless we strengthen the resilience of our supply chain, we could be one natural disaster or quality mishap or cyber attack from being here again. I hope I can work with this committee to ensure we have the tools and resources we need moving forward.”
Korn has premiered a new live video for “Worst Is on Its Way,” the current single off the band’s new album, Requiem.
The performance was recorded during Korn’s streaming concert earlier this year celebrating the release of Requiem, which was filmed at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Three hundred fans got to attend the intimate show in performance, which required attendees to wear “appropriate black funeral attire.”
You can watch the live “Worst Is on Its Way” video streaming now on YouTube.
Requiem, Korn’s 14th studio album, was released last February. It also includes the lead single “Start the Healing.”
Korn will hit the road in support of Requiem on a U.S. tour alongside Evanescence kicking off in August.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — As loved ones of the victims looked on, an 18-year-old suspect accused of fatally shooting 10 people in what authorities described as a racially motivated rampage, appeared in court Thursday and was called a “coward” by someone at the hearing.
The suspect, Payton Gendron, entered the Buffalo, New York, City Court wearing an orange jumpsuit, a white face mask and chains on his legs and hands and surrounded by numerous court officers.
Prosecutors said a grand jury had indicted him on first-degree murder, but all the charges remain under seal.
Judge Craig D. Hannah adjourned Thursday’s one-minute hearing. The hearing was scheduled to be a felony hearing, but because Gendron has been indicted, the judge scheduled his next hearing for June 9, when he is expected to be arraigned on charges in the grand jury indictment.
Relatives and family members of victims killed in the shooting at a grocery store Saturday crowded into the courtroom to watch. Gendron entered and left under heavy guard.
A woman in sitting in the courtroom gallery was overheard yelling, “Payton, you’re a coward” as he exited the courtroom.
“The defendant continues to remain held without bail. There will be no further comment from our office until there is a report following an investigation by the Grand Jury,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement. “As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
No additional charges have been filed.
Gendron made no comments in court.
Gendron was initially charged with one count of murder following Saturday afternoon’s massacre at a Tops Friendly Market in which police officials alleged he intentionally targeted Black people in the attack he planned for months. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held without bail.
Gendron is expected to face additional murder and attempted murder counts and state hate crime charges. The FBI is also conducting a parallel investigation, which the Department of Justice said could lead to federal hate crime and terrorism charges.
During a visit to Buffalo on Tuesday, President Joe Biden called the mass shooting an act of “domestic terrorism.”
All 10 of the people killed in the attack were Black, six women and four men. Three other people were wounded in the shooting, including one Black victim and two white victims.
Investigators said Gendron drove three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, and alleged he spent Friday conducting a final reconnaissance on the store before committing the mass shooting Saturday afternoon.
Authorities allege Gendron was wielding an AR-15-style rifle, dressed in military fatigues, body armor and wearing a tactical helmet with a camera attached when he stormed the store around 2:30 p.m., shooting four people outside the business and nine others inside. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the suspect fired a barrage of 50 shots during the rampage.
Police said Gendron allegedly livestreamed the attack on the gaming website Twitch before the company took down the live feed two minutes into the shooting.
Among those killed was 55-year-old Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the supermarket. Authorities said Salter fired at the gunman, but the bullets had no effect due to the bulletproof vest the suspect wore.
Buffalo police officers arrived at the store one minute after getting the first calls of an active shooter and confronted the suspect, who responded by placing the barrel of the rifle to his chin and threatening to kill himself, according to Gramaglia. He said the officers de-escalated the situation and talked Gendron into surrendering.
The long-rumored collaboration between Tame Impala and Diana Ross has finally arrived.
The Australian psychedelic outfit and the R&B icon have teamed up for a new song called “Turn Up the Sunshine.” As previously reported, the track will appear on the ’70s-inspired soundtrack to the upcoming Minions sequel movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru.
You can listen to “Turn Up the Sunshine” now via digital outlets.
In addition to the Tame and Diana collab, the Minions 2 soundtrack includes a host of big-name alternative artists, including St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Bleachers and Alabama Shakes‘ Brittany Howard. The album was also produced by Jack Antonoff.
You can listen to the whole soundtrack when it’s released July 1, the same day Minions 2 hits theaters.
(NEW YORK) — The world was “woefully” unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, and remains vulnerable to the next major “catastrophic” health crisis, a panel created by the World Health Organization concluded.
“COVID-19 is the 21st century’s Chernobyl moment — not because a disease outbreak is like a nuclear accident, but because it has shown so clearly the gravity of the threat to our health and well-being,” experts from the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response wrote in a report, entitled “COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic,” released on Wednesday.
The panel, which is led by former New Zealand Prime Minister and UNDP chief Helen Clark and former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, urged immediate action to avert the next pandemic, or else “we will condemn the world to successive catastrophes.”
“It has caused a crisis so deep and wide that presidents, prime ministers and heads of international and regional bodies must now urgently accept their responsibility to transform the way in which the world prepares for and responds to global health threats,” the panel said. “If not now, then when?”
The panel’s extensive investigation revealed “failures and gaps” in governments’ international and national responses, which ultimately failed to protect the public.
“Current institutions, public and private, failed to protect people from a devastating pandemic. Without change, they will not prevent a future one,” the group said.
Experts wrote they remain “deeply concerned” and “alarmed” about the persistently high and widespread levels of COVID-19 transmission across the globe, particularly given the possible emergence of new variants that could continue to “impose an intolerable burden on societies.”
“People are grieving the loss of their loved ones, and those with long-term health impacts from the disease continue to suffer,” the panel wrote. “It does not have to be this way.”
The panel called for immediate investment in pandemic preparedness measures, an improvement of surveillance systems, widespread plans to produce vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and supplies, and access to pandemic-related financial support.
With more than 5.7 billion people in the world over the age of 16, the panel stressed the critical need to support global vaccine access and equity, asserting that “this is not some aspiration for tomorrow — it is urgent, now.”
“Ending this pandemic as quickly as possible goes hand in hand with preparing to avert another one,” they wrote.
“As soon as a health threat or deadly outbreak fades from memory, complacency takes over in what has been dubbed a cycle of panic and neglect. This cycle must end.”
Courtesy of Backline & Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
Guitars signed by Journey‘s Neal Schon, Judas Priest, The Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir and former Traffic member Dave Mason are among the items currently up for bid in a benefit auction that will help provide free mental health therapy to members of the music industry in need.
The Backline organization and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund have teamed up to organize the auction with the hope of raising $100,000 for Sweet Relief’s Music’s Mental Health Fund, which will provide mental health resources to about 250 music industry professionals and their family members.
The sale, which is being hosted by the Propeller social-impact platform, includes a Player Plus Stratocaster guitar signed by Schon, an ESP LTD M-200FM model autographed by the members of Judas Priest, a D’Angelico Excel guitar signed by Weir and a Classic Vibe ’50s Stratocaster autographed by Mason.
The auction also is offering the chance to win tickets to select concerts and events, including front-row seats to Jackson Browne‘s July 26 show at New York City’s famed Beacon Theatre, plus a special merch pack.
To check out the full list of items and to place a bid, visit Propeller.la.
Jason Aldean shared an update with fans this week after his son, Memphis, sustained an injury that landed him in the emergency room. On his Instagram Stories, Jason shared a snapshot of the 4-year-old in a hospital bed.
“Lil man had his first trip to the ER today,” Jason wrote. “Needed 2 stitches and took it like a champ.”
Though Memphis looks a little bit unhappy to be in the hospital in the photo, he’s well on his way toward recovery, with help from an iPad and a bag of kettle corn popcorn. The country superstar assured fans that his son is going to be just fine.
“Back home and rockin,” he added in his post.
Not long before his ER update, Jason shared a few shots of Memphis and his younger sister Navy enjoying life in the family’s new beachside Florida hometown. “As a beach guy, nothing makes me happier than seeing my babies love the water,” he wrotealongside an image of his two young children building sandcastles by the ocean.
Another recent photo shows Memphis with a new toy: a metal detector. “Memphis is on a mission to find some treasure, so we got him a metal detector!” the singer explained, along with #goodluckbuddy.
