A new season of American Idol is about to get underway, and fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing a familiar trio of judges will make a return.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan — in addition to host Ryan Seacrest — have signed on for the sixth season of the hit reality singing competition.
Filming is a week away from picking up, with auditions set to kick off next Wednesday, August 3. The tryouts, labeled “Idol Across America,” will run until August 31 with a slew of locations across New England. Those hoping to win their golden ticket and sing for America’s vote can visit AmericanIdol.com/auditions to find a list of tryout dates and locations. You must be at least 15 years old to audition.
This year, American Idol is doing something new. The show unveiled its annual “First 500” event, set for August 3, where hopefuls can try to score a VIP spot.
American Idol‘s sixth season is set to premiere on ABC in spring 2023.
Sam Hunt will no longer be able to make his headlining engagement at the upcoming Boots and Hearts Festival in Canada.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing government restrictions, Sam Hunt will not be able to perform at Boots & Hearts Music Festival on August 5,” reads a statement from the singer’s social media. “We were hopeful that these restrictions would be lifted as the date got closer, but it’s now apparent that won’t happen.”
Sam didn’t specify which government restrictions were keeping him from making his set, but some fans speculated that it might have something to do with the COVID-19 vaccine requirements necessary for travel into Canada.
The Boots and Hearts festival, held annually in Burl’s Creek, Ontario, will take place over four days between August 4-7. Shania Twain and Florida Georgia Line are each headlining a day, with Walker Hayes on deck to headline a special kick-off party on August 4.
In his post, Sam explained that the festival “secured a great replacement” to perform in his stead; Boots and Hearts later announced that Jake Owen will take over Sam’s Friday night slot.
(WASHINGTON) — Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden’s eldest granddaughter, will have her fall wedding on the South Lawn of the White House — the first time the White House has hosted nuptials since 2013.
“Sooo not sure how best to update but was supposed to do so weeks ago…but we have finally figured out where the ceremony will be…and much to the relief of secret service and with the dogs’ endorsement…we’ll be getting married on the South Lawn! Couldn’t be more excited,” the 28 year-old Naomi Biden, an attorney, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Aides had previously announced that she and her 25-year-old fiancé, lawyer Peter Neal, would have a reception at the White House on Nov. 19.
“Peter and I are endlessly grateful to my Nana and Pop for the opportunity to celebrate our wedding at the White House. We can’t wait to make our commitment to one another official and for what lies ahead,” Naomi Biden, daughter of the president’s younger son, Hunter, tweeted in April.
The White House has said the Biden family will be covering the cost of the reception as is consistent with other private events hosted by the first family and in keeping with the tradition of wedding festivities under prior administrations.
Naomi Biden and Neal were introduced by friends some four years ago, first lady Jill Biden’s office previously told reporters. Neal proposed in September in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, not far from where he grew up “with a ring that includes the band of his grandmother’s engagement ring.”
Their families “were there to surprise them after,” the first lady’s office has said.
According to the White House Historical Association (WHHA), there have been 18 documented weddings at the White House and four documented receptions. The most recent ceremony was in 2013, under President Barack Obama, when his photographer Pete Souza wed Patti Lease.
The most recent reception was in 2008, for President George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna Bush ahead of her marriage to Henry Hager at the Bush family ranch in Texas.
While the WHHA notes there have been weddings held in the Rose Garden, they do not list any weddings that took place on the South Lawn.
It’s been almost four months since Bryan Adams released Classic, an album stuffed with re-recordings of his greatest hits from the ’80s and ’90s — and part two is already on its way.
“Bryan is happy to announce ‘Classic Pt. II’ featuring 7 newly re-recorded favorites, is out digitally on Friday! Pre-save now!” he tweeted out on Thursday, sharing a link so fans can make sure the album arrives in their playlists at midnight.
Why is the “Summer of 69” artist making these albums? Similar to Taylor Swift‘s masters saga with her former label — Bryan is also fighting to reclaim the rights to his music.
He previously told Stereogum that Taylor inspired him to re-record his old hits. Bryan revealed his former label, Universal Music Group, declined to hand over the rights to his catalog.
“She and I have been in a similar situation lately with our master recordings. My record company wasn’t interested in negotiating the return of my early masters, so I’ve done what she has done to re-record my early songs again,” he explained, adding his Classic albums are coming out “thanks to Taylor.”
Taylor invited the Grammy winner to sing with her during her Reputation Tour in 2019, and they sang “Summer of 69” together. Bryan hinted she made it even easier for him to think he could re-record his decades-old hits.
“I loved singing with Taylor,” he recalled, “in fact I believe it’s the best version of the song since the original recording.”
(TETON COUNTY, Wyo.) — “Trigger laws” that would place a near-total ban on abortion were temporarily blocked in Wyoming and North Dakota on Wednesday, just as they were to go into effect.
Both states are among more than a dozen that had passed laws that would enact bans on abortion should Roe v. Wade be overturned.
Wyoming’s law bans abortion in all circumstances except rape, incest or if the mother is in serious risk of death or injury. It briefly went into effect on Wednesday, until a Teton County judge shortly issued a temporary restraining order blocking it.
The order is in response to a lawsuit that argues the law violates rights guaranteed by the state’s constitution — a claim the state has contested.
Wellspring Health Access, a national abortion rights organization that is building a full-service abortion clinic in Casper, is among those suing the state. Its founder and president, Julie Burkhart, called Wednesday’s ruling a “temporary victory.”
“If allowed to take effect, the abortion ‘trigger ban’ that was temporarily blocked today would severely restrict Wyomingites’ freedom to make decisions about their own bodies,” Burkhart said in a statement. “We will continue our efforts to ensure that Wyoming residents maintain their fundamental, constitutionally protected right to make their own health care decisions.”
Burkhart’s clinic was set to open last month until an arson fire in May delayed the launch for several months.
ABC News has reached out to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office for comment.
With the ban blocked, abortions in Wyoming are still legal up to the point of viability, or around 24 weeks into pregnancy.
Meanwhile, North Dakota’s trigger law, which would similarly ban abortion except in the cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother, was set to go into effect on Thursday. A state district court judge granted a temporary restraining order against the law on Wednesday, barring it from taking effect.
In its ruling, the court stated that the state attorney general “prematurely attempted to executive the triggering language” before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its certified judgment overturning Roe v. Wade — which the high court did on Wednesday.
The order is in response to a lawsuit brought forth by the Red River Women’s Clinic, the state’s lone abortion provider, which claimed the ban violates the state constitution.
“We’re relieved that a North Dakota state court has blocked its devastating trigger ban for now,” Meetra Mehdizadeh, staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. “If allowed to go into effect, this near-total abortion ban would close the state’s sole abortion clinic, leaving North Dakotans with no clinic within the state to turn for essential health care.”
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Rigley told ABC News that his office took steps “within an hour” of the court’s decision to issue the certification for the law, which he said is now slated to go into effect on Aug. 26 based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s certified judgment.
The block allows Red River Women’s Clinic, which is relocating to Minnesota in the wake of Roe being overturned, to provide abortion care while the case proceeds.
Abortions in North Dakota are still legal up until 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
Several other states, including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah, have had trigger laws temporarily blocked amid lawsuits.
In an ongoing live loop of the teaser, Universal Pictures revealed on Thursday the first footage of Christopher Nolan‘s star-studded historical drama Oppenheimer.
Frequent Nolan player Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.
As an atomic fire swirls through the frame, a voice-over says, “The force from which the sun gets its power has been loosed.”
A countdown timer spins at the bottom of the frame, and we see Oppenheimer staring out a window, crisply putting on his hat.
“He gave them the power to destroy themselves,” another man warns in the voice-over. “It made him the most powerful man who ever lived.”
As the timer runs down to zero, a title card reads: “The world forever changes,” and we see Murphy in full for the first time, ignoring press photographers tailing him down a hallway.
“The man who moved the earth,” the voice-over concludes.
Oppenheimer, which also stars Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Matthew Modine, Jack Quaid, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek,and Emily Blunt, was based on the Pulitzer-winning 2005 book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Carly Pearce is known for her authenticity as a songwriter, and while her songs were written about her own emotions and experiences, they often cut just as deep for the fans who listen to her music.
That was the case for a fan Carly recently met, who’d gotten a tattoo of some of the lyrics from “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” a song off her 2020 self-titled sophomore project.
In the song, Carly reminds listeners — and herself — that, good or bad, nothing lasts forever. She remembers being desperate to get out of her hometown as a teenager, experiencing a breakup at 22 and making precious memories with a loved one. In every case, the feeling eventually fades, even if it feels permanent at the time.
For this particular fan, the song’s message helped him survive addiction and had such a huge effect on a difficult chapter of his life that he immortalized Carly’s words on his skin.
“That was crazy, and for him to be vulnerable enough to tell his story of addiction and that he overcame that, it’s powerful,” the singer reflected in an interview with her record label. “It was really amazing and just shows me the power of music, and we can change lives with lyrics.”
Just ahead of her Renaissance album release, Beyoncéshared a letter on her website detailing how special the project is to her.
“This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative,” she wrote in Thursday’s post.
“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” she added. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”
Beyoncé went on to thank her children, Rumi, Sir and Blue, and her husband, Jay Z, as well as other family members, friends and collaborators.
“To all of my fans: I hope you find joy in this music,” she concluded. “I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are. Love y’all deep, B.”
Gorillaz has premiered the video for “Cracker Island,” the band’s latest single.
The clip features a mix of animation and live action as we find the cartoon Gorillaz members being taken into a hospital by police. By the end, things take a supernatural turn.
Bassist Thundercat, who’s featured on “Cracker Island,” also appears in the video, which is streaming now on YouTube.
“Cracker Island” first premiered in June. It follows Gorillaz’s 2021 EP Meanwhile and the 2020 album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, which features collaborations from The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent and Elton John.
Gorillaz will launch a North American tour September 11 in Vancouver.
Doja Cat jokingly flexed her vocals by tackling Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s “Shallow.”
Taking to Instagram Live late Wednesday, the “Say So” singer decided to belt out a hammed-up version of the Oscar-winning song from A Star Is Born.
Doja barely enunciated the words as she amped the song up a few octaves and screeched out the chorus, which was all recorded by a fan. The Grammy winner also had fun mispronouncing words and putting a toddler-like spin on her enunciation.
Though she lightly took on the challenge, Doja’s fans applauded her vocal range and pitch.
Turns out, Gaga, who caught wind of the Instagram live via a fan-recorded clip, was also very impressed. She responded, per Pop Crave, “LADY THATS A SERVE.”
Fans are hoping Doja releases a full version of her “Shallow” cover as they are hungry for new music. The “Kiss Me More” singer previously stated she is retiring from music after a particularly nasty fallout with her South American fans — so it appears her fanbase will take whatever they can get.
