Multitalented entertainer Teyana Taylor was crowned the season 7 winner of The Masked Singer on Wednesday night, but the 31-year-old superstar says the road to winning was never something she took lightly.
“It was nothing that I looked at as just, like, fun and games,” she said in an interview following her final performance as the firefly.
The decision to join the show came after the “Rose in Harlem” singer announced she was retiring from music in December 2021. Taylor says she was skeptical about joining the show but looked at the opportunity as an outlet to “sing without politics and judgement.”
“It’s crazy because I was so passionate from day one and I think it’s because of my journey in music,” she said.
Though her journey on the top-secret competition show was an “emotional” one, Taylor says she’s ultimately glad she decided to take part. “It felt so good to win this,” she expressed.
As for her retirement from the music industry — a decision many of her fans aren’t in favor of — Taylor says The Masked Singer is “technically” her last bow, but also “you never know” because she’s now got “a lot of things to think about.”
Elton John‘s classic fifth studio album, Honky Château, was released 50 years ago today, on May 19, 1972.
The album was Elton’s first to top the Billboard 200, spending five consecutive weeks at #1 in July and August of ’72 and beginning a run of six straight chart-topping studio efforts in the U.S. for Elton.
Honky Château included two songs that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, “Rocket Man” — one of Elton’s signature tunes — and “Honky Cat,” which peaked at #6 and #8, respectively.
The album was recorded in France at Château d’Hérouville, an 18th century manor house, and was Elton’s first full album to feature contributions from his classic backing band of guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray.
Johnstone tells ABC Audio that he had basically just met Olsson and Murray for the first time at the airport before the sessions began, but he says they quickly developed a chemistry while working on the album.
“[W]ith Elton on piano, Nigel on drums, Dee on bass and me on guitars, and then us all doing background vocals, we it had tailor-made,” Johnstone says. “[We were a] four-piece … rocking outfit. And with Bernie Taupin supplying the lyrics, it was like, suddenly we were this unstoppable force.”
Johnstone notes that with everyone staying at the château, songs often would come together very quickly.
“[W]e’d come down in the morning and have a coffee and a baguette or something, and we’d just immediately start rehearsing some of these songs,” Johnstone recalls. “And in some cases, we’d rehearse the song and we’d say, ‘Oh, that sounds great. Let’s just go over to the studio and cut it right now.’… So it was very, very fast.”
Here’s Honky Château‘s full track list:
“Honky Cat”
“Mellow”
“I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself”
“Susie (Dramas)”
“Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)”
“Salvation”
“Slave”
“Amy”
“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”
“Hercules”
Courtesy of Backline & Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
Guitars signed by Journey‘s Neal Schon, 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, a D’Angelico Excel guitar autographed by Weir and a Classic Vibe ’50s Stratocaster signed 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.
The Book of Boba Fett had the momentum of the title character’s bruising return to the Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian‘s second season episode “The Tragedy” — as well as decades of fan love — but some fans were vocal about the character’s turn in his own Disney+ series.
While the show was billed as the once-feared bounty hunter’s ascension as an intergalactic crime lord, the series, for one thing, didn’t show him doing any crime. In fact, Temuera Morrison‘s faceless, ruthless Mandalorian was routinely portrayed with his helmet off and, arguably, pretty even-keeled.
But while some fans griped their Boba would have left blaster holes in a whole lot of the characters he encountered in the course of the show — particularly those smart-mouthed scooter dandies he later employed — executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni tell Vanity Fair the turn was a natural progression for the “older … wiser” character.
“You think about Don Corleone,” Favreau tells the magazine of Marlon Brando‘s iconic Godfather character. “There’s a tremendous amount of restraint because he knows that to be sustainable, there has to be [peace]. You don’t do well unless there’s some political balance …”
He adds, “You think about what things are off limits. Don Corleone wasn’t just doing everything to line his pockets as he got later into his career. You look at … the flashbacks in The Godfather: Part II, as he’s walking down the streets. He’s seen as somebody … the people respect because of the way he conducts himself.”
Favreau adds, “There’s lots of different ways to run an empire. There’s the Sonny Corleone way, there’s the Michael Corleone way, and then there’s the Vito Corleone way.”
(DALLAS) — Former President George W. Bush had a tongue-tied moment at a speech on Wednesday and millions on social media took notice.
When condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Bush mistakenly referred to the decision to launch an “unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq” before quickly correcting himself to say “Ukraine,” in what was a bungled criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq,” said Bush, before catching himself and shaking his head. “I mean — of Ukraine.”
Realizing his mistake, Bush then appeared to say under his breath, “Correct.”
Bush made the comment in a speech at his presidential center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Wednesday during an event examining the future of American elections. After a pause, Bush blamed the mistake on his age and the audience laughed.
“Anyway, I’m 75,” he said.
But on Twitter, the reaction to Bush’s inadvertent reference to the most polarizing decision of his administration was mixed, as users revived criticism of his decision to invade and sarcastically riffed on his history of such slip-ups.
Former Rep. Joe Walsh, who ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2020, tweeted as the clip swirled through social media: “All gaffes aside, George W Bush was wrong to invade Iraq. And Putin was wrong to invade Ukraine.”
Another user cracked that “Freud really stepped out of his grave to personally slap the ‘Iraq’ out of Bush’s mouth didn’t he.”
The mixup was widely seen. Since video of Bush’s speech was clipped and tweeted by Dallas News reporter Michael Williams on Wednesday, it has been viewed more than 17 million times.
In his Wednesday remarks, Bush also described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “cool little guy,” deeming him “the [Winston] Churchill of the 21st century.”
As president, Bush oversaw the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 — as part of the post-9/11 conflicts in the Middle East — under the pretext that the country was hiding weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs. Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, was deposed but no weapons were found, and the war officially lasted for nearly a decade.
While the Bush administration argued the fighting was necessary for national security even without the WMDs, it became increasingly unpopular at home. Thousands of U.S. service members and tens of thousands of civilians died.
Bush wrote in his post-White House memoir that he had a “sickening feeling” when he learned there were no WMDs in Iraq after their supposed existence was used as justification for the invasion. He told ABC News’ “World News Tonight” when leaving office in 2008 that the “biggest regret” of his presidency was what he called the “intelligence failure in Iraq.”
When pressed in that interview, Bush declined to “speculate” on whether he would still have gone to war if he knew Iraq didn’t have WMDs. “That is a do-over that I can’t do,” he said.
Nonetheless, he wrote in his memoir, “I strongly believe that removing Saddam from power was the right decision.”
ABC News’ Chris Donovan contributed to this report.
(JONESBORO, Ga.) — Hate crime charges have been announced against a man accused of planning to fatally shoot customers and employees of two Jonesboro, Georgia, convenience stores.
Larry Edward Foxworth allegedly fired a gun repeatedly into two convenience stores at 2:30 a.m. on July 30, 2021. Both stores were open for business.
The indictment alleges that Foxworth, who is white, was motivated to shoot into the stores because of the perceived race, color or national origin of the people inside the stores.
“No person should be afraid to shop or go to work in our community. Nor should people have to worry that they may be violently attacked because of the color of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.
Foxworth was charged with two counts of committing a federal hate crime and discharging a firearm to commit a violent crime. He has not yet entered a plea.
He is being charged under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act, which makes it a federal crime to willfully cause bodily injury, or attempt to do so using a dangerous weapon because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion or national origin.
Clayton County is a predominantly Black community, making up 72.8% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The charges against Foxworth come in the wake of the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.
The 18-year-old suspect in Buffalo shot and killed 10 people, injuring three others, in what authorities have described as a racially motivated rampage.
“Hate-fueled violence has no place in a civilized society,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Thankfully no one was injured by the conduct alleged in this case, but the Justice Department is committed to using all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal to prosecute allegations of hate crimes.”
This is the first time in about eight years that hate crime charges have been filed in the Northern District of Georgia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office told ABC News.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clayton County Police Department.
Shawn Levy may be better known for directing comedies such as Free Guy and Night at the Museum, but he’s mastering the art of horror thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Speaking with ABC Audio at the Stranger Things season 4 red carpet premiere, Levy compared learning how to direct horror to learning a new language.
“Horror is really challenging to me because it doesn’t come as naturally to me. Comedy comes naturally. Emotionality comes naturally to me. Horror is not my sweet spot,” the Oscar-nominated producer admitted. “I’ve had to learn it like a new language.”
Levy credited Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, for showing him the ropes. “When you have teachers like that, it gives you a good head start,” he said.
So, what was the most important lesson he learned from the Duffer brothers? “Lean into the darkness and don’t always feel the need to shine a light on. Just let it sit in the darkness.” As a result, Levy says, “[I’ve] become more fluent in the horror genre.”
Stranger Things returns for its fourth season on May 27. Levy says fans should buckle up: “It’s scary as hell,” he said of the new season. “I’m not going to lie. It’s a very creepy, dark season.”
Thrills and chills aside, Levy assured, “I think it’s important to [let] people know it’s still got that Stranger Things‘ heart and soul and the characters that we all love so much.”
Season 4 is also the penultimate season of the horror franchise. “It’s … the beginning of the end,” said Levy, “which is inherently very bittersweet.”
Stranger Thingsairs new episodes starting next Friday, May 27, on Netflix.
Wynonna Judd performs at the “Naomi Judd: A River of Time” celebration at Ryman Auditorium on May 15, 2022 in Nashville; Mickey Bernal/Getty Images
Before Naomi Judd’s unexpected death in late April, she and her daughter Wynonna had made plans to launch a fall 2022 tour as legendary country act The Judds.
At Naomi’s public memorial concert last weekend, Wynonna announced that The Judds: The Final Tour will continue, adding that it’s what her mother would have wanted. Now, new details are emerging about the lineup for the re-imagined tour dates, which are scheduled to begin September 30 and last through the month of October.
The show is being reimagined as an all-star girls’ night, with performances from Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood and Brandi Carlile. Martina McBride — who was originally scheduled to be the opener on the tour — is still on the bill, and she’ll perform a set of her own music during the supporting act slot each night.
Additionally, a final arena stop in Lexington, Kentucky has been added to the tour for October 29. That’s a particularly meaningful spot to close the show, as Kentucky is Wynonna and Naomi’s home state. Faith Hill will join the bill for that date.
In a statement, Wynonna thanked fans for their outpouring of support and interest in attending the shows, even though the lineup will look very different than originally planned.
“I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most,” she said. “I am grateful that we will continue to honor the Judds legacy together.”
“I am so happy that in this time of grief for us all, Wynonna has agreed to move forward with this tour,” added Larry Strickland, Naomi’s husband of 30+ years, “as my sweet wife Naomi would have wanted her to do.”
A limited number of ticketsare still available for stops on The Judds: The Final Tour. Tickets for the Lexington, Kentucky show go on sale May 21.
If you were wondering what name Sean “Diddy” Combs is going by these days, you’re in luck because he set the record straight surrounding his moniker while on the Ellen show Wednesday.
“I feel it’s very important that I clear that up,” said Diddy, after host Ellen DeGeneres flat out asked “What’s your name?”
“I decided that I’m just going to go with the name Diddy,” the entrepreneur, who has also gone by Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Puffy, clarified before sharing that his legal name is now Love.
“Love is my real name,” he explained. “So, I just changed my name to Sean Love Combs. That’s what it says on my driver’s license. That is my official name. Love.”
In a lengthy Instagram post accompanied by tearful photos, Dove Cameron reveals that she’s having a hard time reconciling the pressure that society puts on us to stick to one identity.
“I’ve been struggling lately with the concept of self, my inner relationship to who I know myself to be and my outer perceivable self, who I feel I have never known but who other people seem to,” the singer and actress writes.
Adding that she’s “sometimes terrorized by my identity and image,” she admits that she’s been “covering mirrors” and “feeling wrong in clothing that used to make me feel beautiful.” She also says she’s been “crying a lot lately.”
The “Boyfriend” singer, who self-identifies as queer, goes on to say, “I don’t know if I’ve ever slowed down enough to learn who I am outside of fight, flight or freeze…sexuality and performative gender norms, societal rewards and identity are really throwing me for a loop.”
In part, Dove blames “social media and mirrors and branding and the constant broadcasting of self,” noting that it’s “not optimal for mental health…this is a modern problem not designed with human health in mind.”
She goes on to say that she’s sharing all this so “that we may all feel more comfortable in a conversation that may be confusing, and we may navigate something that feels difficult to put to words together.”
Dove concludes, “emotion is COOL. dysphoria is OK. living as a human is INTENSE. we are all holding hands. Don’t forget.”
