The rapper dropped the 18-track follow-up to 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN. on Thursday night, featuring guest appearances from Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Sampha, Baby Keem, and Zola actress Taylour Paige.
The track with Paige, “We Cry Together,” is already setting social media abuzz. The emotionally-charged song features Kendrick and Paige as an arguing couple hurling some pretty intense insults at each other.
On the track “Father Time,” featuring Sampha, Kendrick addresses Drake and Kanye West’s recent reconciliation after years-long beef. “When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused,” he raps. “Guess I’m not as mature as I think, got some healin’ to do.”
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers doesN’t include “The Heart Part 5,” the song Kendrick released on Sunday along with a video in which he morphed into OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle.
Here’s the Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers track list:
DISC 1: BIG STEPPERS
“United In Grief”
“N95”
“Worldwide Steppers”
“Die Hard” ft. Blxst & Amanda Reifer
“Father Time” ft. Sampha
“Rich” (Interlude)
“Rich Spirit”
“We Cry Together” ft. Taylour Paige
“Purple Hearts” ft. Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah
DISC 2: MR. MORALE
“Count Me Out”
“Crown”
“Silent Hill” ft. Kodak Black
“Savior” (Interlude)
“Savior” ft. Baby Keem & Sam Dew
“Auntie Diaries”
“Mr. Morale” ft. Tanna Leone
“Mother I Sober” ft. Beth Gibbons of Portishead
“Mirror”
(LOS ANGELES) — The sound of construction around Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital is hard to miss. Crews are essentially building a new hospital because the old one, just south of Los Angeles, isn’t big enough. For the staff, it is a sign of rebirth after an exhausting two years. The long-delayed construction is finally underway, after being postponed due to COVID-19, and it is a sign that the fight against the virus is better.
Only a few months ago, the parking lot outside of Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey was essentially a battlefield hospital. There was a giant tent used for patient triage. Today, the big tent is gone and once again cars are filling parking spots.
The doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai, like their counterparts around the country, have seen the worst of the pandemic. They have witnessed countless patients unable to breathe and the heartbreaking goodbyes of family members to their loved ones who were dying from the coronavirus.
Now that the United States has hit one million dead, the staff at Cedars-Sinai is remembering the battle they have gone through.
“Certainly there were a lot of patients that were waiting to be seen,” said Dr. Oren Friedman, a pulmonologist and medical director of the Cedars-Sinai ICU. “Just the amount of patients that we had that needed hospital support and ICU support. There’s never been anything like that. It was just such a huge number. We never felt that way before.”
The staff remembers the early months when there was no test for the virus and treatments were extremely limited. Their colleagues were getting seriously ill. Patients were streaming in unable to catch their breath.
“It was overwhelming, I think, for anyone in the health care field. However, we relied on each other. We relied on as much of the literature that was coming out,” Friedman explained during a recent visit to the hospital. “We formed groups and committees of people who constantly reviewed the literature and the latest. I don’t think any of us have ever been in a situation where so many people that we were taking care of with a disease that was so novel and the information was coming out at lightning speed.”
Friedman, 44, has a unique perspective. Not only is he a pulmonologist who could see what was happening to patients’ lungs as they suffered with COVID-19, but he caught the virus early in the pandemic while on the job and struggled for weeks to recover. And once he was feeling better he went to New York City to help while the region was being overwhelmed by the virus.
“The last two years have been the most challenging time for anyone, certainly in my generation, in pulmonary and critical care medicine,” he said. “In some sense when we all look back at it, it’s like being in an alternate universe. I don’t think any of us ever saw so many patients coming in with such a volume of one particular disease. And certainly none of us ever saw the health care system so impacted and so overwhelmed.”
In the early months, so much was unknown. The virus was spreading so rapidly without a vaccine and without many precautions being taken by the American public. In mid-March of 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. Medical experts’ predictions that 100,000 people could die were instantly discounted by skeptics. But the numbers of people dying kept growing. Doctors and nurses on the frontlines were at war, while politics played out in the national spotlight.
“In the last two years it’s been very overwhelming and frightening,” said ICU nurse Morgan Roverud. “At the beginning of the pandemic everything was unknown. So we didn’t know how to deal with COVID.”
“It was definitely scary,” Roverud remembered. “A lot of the times I felt like: ‘How can I do this?’ But I think with the teamwork aspect here at [Cedars-Sinai] Marina del Rey and the friendships that you form with the staff and other leadership it just makes everything easier.”
It was that teamwork that hospital staff says got them through it. The staff became one, working around the clock. Doctors and nurses were perpetually exhausted as they worked to save lives. Still, many patients would be overtaken by the virus.
“There was a cohesiveness, I suppose, because everyone was on the same mission together to take care of all of these patients. But it was also sad and, at times, it felt hopeless,” said Friedman.
Friedman said he knew the wave of death that he witnessed in New York was likely heading to California and elsewhere. He was right. The halls at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey became full during several waves of the pandemic. The sound of ventilators pumping air into patients’ lungs filled the hallways. COVID-19 was killing Americans.
“We had never seen that many patients who were that critically ill on ventilators,” Friedman said. “It was exhausting. The days were long. Everybody was working extra shifts, extra hours. People were doubling up on shifts. People had to be creative marshalling resources.”
As the pandemic claimed more victims, there were the doubters, including high-profile politicians and media figures, who claimed COVID-19 wasn’t real or wasn’t serious. For the health care providers in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai, there was nothing more aggravating than those who claimed the virus was not serious.
“There was a temptation from all of us to run out there and scream and shake people and tell people, ‘do you realize how bad this could be? Do you realize what it looks like inside of the hospital? You should be wearing masks, you should be getting vaccinated.’ It was enormously frustrating,” said Friedman.
Friedman said after the first surge, medical staff could feel that the general population wanted to move on from the virus but the virus was not done with Americans.
“It made our jobs that much more difficult. It felt like you were fighting a war, but when you returned home from the battle people just simply didn’t believe that war was even occurring,” he said.
Today, after so much heartache and after so many Americans were lost to the virus, maybe the worst of COVID-19 is over and now we must learn to live with it.
“With the vaccines that still work well against variants, and the increase in antiviral medications that we now have,” Friedman said, “we should be able to control some of those numbers better than we have in the past.”
Now with the large tent gone and fewer COVID-19 patients, things are quieter at the hospital. But the team has scars from the past two years or so and the one million lives lost in the U.S.
“It’s a staggering number. It’s a number that most people have a hard time fathoming,” Friedman said. “Even what a million would look like. It’s also really disappointing as a medical provider to realize that many of those probably didn’t need to have happened.”
(NEW YORK) — A Texas inmate serving life for murder managed to break free from his shackles, overpower a bus driver and escape from custody, officials said.
Gonzalo Lopez, 46, was on a transport bus en route from Gatesville to Huntsville for a medical appointment when he escaped in Leon County on Thursday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.
Two officers were on the bus: one at the front as well as one in the back who was armed with a shotgun, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst told reporters.
Lopez “was somehow able to get out of his shackles and get into the driver’s compartment of the bus,” Hurst said.
Lopez “was able to overpower the driver. There was a struggle … the bus went off the roadway,” Hurst said.
The officer driving the bus was stabbed in the hand and suffered a non-life-threatening injury, he added.
Lopez then jumped off the bus and fled, Hurst said.
Lopez is serving a life sentence for a capital murder in Hidalgo County and an attempted capital murder in Webb County, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.
“We do not know if he has obtained any kind of a weapon,” Hurst said. “Last we saw him he did not appear to have a weapon in his possession, but who knows what he might’ve been able to get.”
Centerville School District schools are closed on Friday as the search continues.
Leon County is about 130 miles south of Dallas. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office urged local residents to lock their homes and cars. Anyone who sees Lopez is asked to call 911 and not approach him.
Pop superstar Lizzo released her new single, “About Damn Time,” recently, and a dance to the song quickly went viral on TikTok.
The “About Damn Time” dance is so ubiquitous that its reach extends all the way to Oklahoma, where Blake Shelton got his hands on it and posted his own version on TikTok — well, sort of.
“Did I do this right???” Blake wrote in the caption, along with video of him gamely attempting to dance along to the music. The country superstar abandoned the viral “About Damn Time” dance moves in favor of some windmill-esque arm movements, before running to the camera in a panic to shut the video off.
Hey, at least he was having fun: Blake smiled gamely throughout the clip, landing his video an “A” for effort, even if the execution was less than flawless.
Perhaps he should be asking his wife, pop superstar Gwen Stefani, for some pointers. Gwen’s active on TikTok and has jumped on several popular trends, including at least one clip that pokes fun at Blake himself.
It’s curtains for the musical adaptation of Robin Williams‘ 1993 hit movie comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire.
The production that opened December 9, 2021, was plagued by COVID-1 delays, and also hurt by Broadway’s post-pandemic restrictions. It will close May 29.
“Even though New York City is getting stronger every day and ticket sales are slowly improving, theatre-going tourists and, especially for our show, family audiences have not returned as soon as we anticipated,” explains producer Kevin McCollum in Playbill. “Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to run the show without those sales, especially when capitalizing with Broadway economics on three separate occasions.”
The production recently earned a Tony nomination for lead Rob McClure, who played Williams’ role as a divorced dad who pretends to be a British nanny just to see his kids.
For his part, McClure had no regrets. He posted on Twitter, “When I was a kid… I would practice for 4 months, 7 hours a day, for a show that we knew we would get to perform 3 times. 3. Those 3 performances were heaven.”
He added, “I have 18 performance left of Mrs. Doubtfire. That’s 6 heavens. That kid demands I treat them as such. See you there.”
The producers say the musical will start a U.K. run in fall 2022, then reportedly return to the U.S. for a 2023 tour.
Five Finger Death Punch has announced the details of the band’s upcoming album, AfterLife.
The ninth studio effort from the Las Vegas metallers will arrive August 19. It includes the previously released title track, as well as a new cut titled “IOU,” which just dropped Friday via digital outlets.
“AfterLife was hands down my favorite record to make,” says guitarist Zoltan Bathory.
“When we started this record, there was an excitement of impending musical adventures, we knew we could step away as far as we wanted to, there was a freedom of truly ‘anything goes,'” he explains. “This resulted in an album that is way more diverse than our previous ones, while it feels more unified, because there is a framework of overarching stories in [frontman] Ivan [Moody‘s] lyrics and interconnecting musical motifs between songs.”
The same day AfterLife arrives, FFDP will launch a U.S. headlining tour in Portland, Oregon. Megadeth, The Hu and Fire from the Gods will also be on the bill.
Here’s the AfterLife track list:
“Welcome to the Circus”
“AfterLife”
“Times Like These”
“Roll Dem Bones”
“Pick Up Behind You”
“Judgment Day”
“IOU”
“Thanks for Asking”
“Blood and Tar”
“All I Know”
“Gold Gutter”
“The End”
Måneskin has premiered a new song called “Supermodel.”
“We wrote ‘Supermodel’ after spending the best few months in LA,” the Italian rockers share. “At times we were surprised yet intrigued to find how people cared so much about the idea of ‘celebrity’ and status, obsessing over their looks and connections.”
The “Beggin'” outfit adds, “We started to imagine an enigmatic ‘Supermodel’ character. She is really cool, fun and social, yet in reality she is troubled, hiding sadness and addiction. In a way you love her, because she knows how to have a good time, but you also want to avoid her, because she might get you into trouble.”
“Supermodel,” which is available now via digital outlets, is the first new Måneskin tune to be released since last fall’s “MAMMAMIA.” They band also premiered a new track called “We’re Gonna Dance on Gasoline” during their debut at Coachella last month.
This Saturday, Måneskin will give “Supermodel” its live premiere during the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest final, which, of course, they won last year.
Måneskin will launch their first-ever North American headlining tour in October.
TMB/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Brittney Griner’s pre-trial detention in Russia was extended by one month on Friday as the United States works to secure the WNBA star’s freedom.
The extension comes one week after the U.S. State Department reclassified Griner as being “wrongfully detained” in Russia.
“The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is among the highest priorities of the U.S government. The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a department spokesperson told ABC News last week. “With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”
With this classification, the U.S. will now be more involved in negotiating for her freedom.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement last week.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was visiting Russia to play basketball off-season and was arrested in February at a Moscow area airport for allegedly having vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil — an illegal substance in Russia.
She is facing drug charges with up to 10 years in prison, according to Russian media reports, and her pre-trial detention was extended in March to May 19.
Griner met with a U.S. official from the consular officer in Russia on March 24 amid a push from the U.S. to gain access to the WNBA star.
A State Department spokesperson told ABC News the U.S. is “deeply concerned about our lack of consistent consular access to these U.S. citizens in recent months.”
“While the Government of Russia has allowed consular access in this instance, we continue to insist that they allow regular, timely consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia, including those in pre-trial detention. We take our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens seriously, and we will continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for all U.S. citizens when they are subject to legal processes overseas,” the spokesperson said.
Calls to free Griner escalated following the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed last month, who was freed from Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange.
Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained on Feb. 17. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
The WNBA honored Griner with a floor decal bearing her initials and jersey number (42) on the sideline of all 12 WNBA teams as the 2022 season kicked off last Friday.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement on Tuesday. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
Rita Ora and 13-time Oscar nominated songwriter Diane Warren have collaborated a new song called “Finish Line” for a four-part ESPN docuseries called 37 Words that’s coming in June. It’s part of the Fifty/50 initiative, marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX. By prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, the federal law drastically increased the number of female student athletes in the U.S. But as Diane explains, the song isn’t just about that.
“It’s an important time for women to feel empowered and really know who you are and what your rights are,” Diane says of “Finish Line,” which she wrote and Rita sings. Rita tells ABC Audio that the significance of “Finish Line” is “way bigger than us.”
In it, she sings, “We’re taking it to the limit, ’til we win it/ ‘Til we look behind at the finish line, to the limit/’Til resistance is gone, we’ll keep pushing on.”
“It’s something that obviously applies to this, but it applies to life, it applies to whatever you’re going through,” Diane says of “Finish Line.” “And to me, the key is…making it fit specifically and at the same time being universal…That’s why these songs become anthems…Because you can make it be about your life. You can hear the song and go, ‘I’m gonna get up today and I’m just…gonna change the world!'”
37 Words chronicles the battle for equal rights in education and athletics. Rita says, “You’ll see the journey of not just this specific song…but I think, as well, it shines a light on the journeys of these women.”
A sneak preview of the song’s video will debut Sunday on American Idol.
Savage on the ‘Wonder Years’ set — ABC/Eliza Morse
(NOTE LANGUAGE)Following his termination as executive producer and director of ABC’s hit Wonder Years reboot, Fred Savage is reportedly doing “a lot of self-reflection.”
That’s according to a source who told Page Six he’s “committed to reflecting on any wrongdoing.”
Savage was fired from the show after what the network called an investigation into “allegations of inappropriate conduct” by the actor. The allegations were not sexual in nature, the publication confirmed.
Savage “knows he can be an a**hole at times,” the source explained, noting, “There are some unresolved issues that Fred wants to deal with.”
“Fred has really taken this issue very seriously and is doing a lot of self-reflection about how he could and should have handled different circumstances better,” the source says.
The former child star has logged serious time behind the camera in the years following the original Wonder Years, directing shows like Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the recently wrapped black-ish.
Page Six reports Savage is getting “overwhelming support” from friends and his former Wonder Years colleagues, as well as his wife, Jennifer Lynn Stone.
The new Wonder Years focuses on a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama during the 1960s and follows preteen Dean Williams, played by Elisha “EJ” Williams.
