Maren Morris knows it’s a long and winding road to get to your dreams, and she’s got the proof: her American Idol audition ticket.
In August 2007, 17-year-old Maren auditioned for American Idol‘s seventh season at the former Texas Stadium in Irving. Though she sadly didn’t make it past the first round of auditions, her mom, Kellie, decided to hold on to the ticket as a keepsake — and Maren’s reaction is priceless.
“My mom found my American Idol audition ticket from 2007. I didn’t make it past the first round cattle call…,” “The Bones” singer wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the tattered ticket showing the details of the audition.
“I wasn’t really into sports growing up but this feels like the equivalent of your mom saving your 10th place trophy,” she added with a crying laughing emoji.
After failing to make Idol, Maren auditioned for The Voice and America’s Got Talent, to no avail. But she got the last laugh.
(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors in New York and the Department of Labor are inspecting Amazon warehouses around the country as part of a civil investigation into unsafe and unseemly workplace conditions.
The inspections began Monday morning, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
“This morning, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration entered Amazon warehouses outside New York City, Chicago and Orlando to conduct workplace safety inspections in response to referrals received from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York concerning potential workplace hazards related, among other things, to Amazon’s required pace of work for its warehouse employees,” a spokesman for the office, Nicholas Biase, said in a statement provided to ABC News.
“The Civil Division of the SDNY is investigating potential worker safety hazards at Amazon warehouses across the country, as well as possible fraudulent conduct designed to hide injuries from OSHA and others,” Biase added.
Workers at Amazon warehouses, which the company calls fulfillment centers, have complained of a grueling pace, uncomfortable heat and the potential for injury.
In recent years, Amazon has also confronted a lawsuit by New York State Attorney General Letitia James that alleged the company failed to protect workers from COVID-19.
Drivers have said the demand to meet quotas caused them to skip bathroom breaks and urinate in plastic bottles, a practice first reported in a 2018 book, “Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain,” by James Bloodworth.
After first denying the claim, Amazon wrote in a 2021 blog post, “We know that drivers can and do have trouble finding restrooms because of traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this has been especially the case during COVID when many public restrooms have been closed.”
The complaints led some Amazon employees to seek to unionize, with mixed results.
The U.S. Attorney’s office pointed members of the public who want to report workplace safety and injury-related issues at Amazon warehouses to the Justice Department’s website.
Current and former Amazon warehouse workers who have information about safety issues — including safety issues related to the pace of work — or a failure to report injuries, or who were injured and did not receive adequate care at Amazon’s onsite first-aid center or at a clinic recommended by Amazon, were urged to share that information with the SDNY.
Amazon did not immediately respond to ABC News about the inspections and investigation.
Chris Brown kicked off his co-headlining tour with Lil Baby Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, and now a promoter is reportedly planning to sue him for not returning over $1 million after he canceled a show in March.
LeJuan Bailey claims she paid Breezy $1.1 million to headline her “One Night Only Benefit Concert” on March 19 in Houston. She says he canceled during sound check and did not perform, according to The Blast. The goal of the show, which was canceled, was to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Ida and Hurricane Nicholas.
She said in a statement, “I acted in good faith and sponsored this concert out of love and respect for residents in need. I am appalled that Chris Brown refuses to refund my money for a show he did not appear to after we announced our show and sold tickets.”
“At this point, it is my humble belief that Chris Brown’s actions are parallel to pure theft,” Bailey continued. “He has the unmitigated gall to take my money, stand up the residents of Houston, then return to the city to perform on August 17, 2022. My message to Chris Brown: We will not sit back and allow you to disrespect the victims of Hurricane Ida and Nicholas in need.”
Bailey added, “My plea right now is to ask Chris and his management or whoever is responsible for that money. We have spoken with the police, they have subpoenaed his records, they found out the wires that we sent and deposits that we gave him.”
The “Go Crazy” singer and Lil Baby will resume their One of Them Ones Tour on July 19 in Washington, D.C. The tour will continue through August 27 in Las Vegas.
The hit new FX series The Bear was just renewed for a second season, and star Jeremy Allen White tells Good Morning America that the show’s success is “overwhelming.”
White stars as James Beard Award-winning chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who goes from cooking in the prestigious, high-pressure kitchens of The French Laundry and Noma to taking over his family’s chaotic, rundown Chicago sandwich shop.
“I knew while we were making the show that it was really good,” White says. “But I think it’s impossible to predict exactly how people are gonna react. And it’s been overwhelming for sure.”
The show boasts an intense recipe of family drama, loss and, yes, cooking. The suicide death of Carmy’s brother brings the chef home to Chicago, and the personal — and professional — boil over quickly.
“… Carmy — my heart really broke for him instantly, because he’s just gone through this incredibly traumatic thing,” White said.
“He doesn’t have much of an identity outside of his profession, and it allowed me to play him consistently with high, high stakes, because … he’s always thinking about the next thing. And that seemed like an exciting thing to play.”
And while Carmy and his spunky sous chef Sydney know their way around the kitchen, their real-life alter egos are picking things up quickly, too, thanks to training with world-renowned chefs.
“I could make scrambled eggs, toast … But that was really it,” White admitted.
“I have, like, a couple of things I can do now that I think are good. But I want to keep learning,” White said of his newfound culinary clout. “I really love it.”
Ayo Edebiri, who plays Sydney, added, “My knife safety is definitely much better than it was before.”
She joked that “people are asking me for dinner parties” in the wake of seeing her slice and dice in the kitchen on TV.
Breland joined Keith Urban onstage during his show in Cincinnati, Ohio, to perform “Out the Cage” together live for the first time. The singers co-wrote the track that appears on Keith’s album The Speed of Now Part 1. Watch the video here.
Old Crowe Medicine Show has announced their 15th annual New Year’s Eve show at the Ryman Auditorium on December 31. Presale tickets for members of their fan club are available Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with general sales beginning Friday.
Britney Spears and Selena Gomez can’t stop fawning over each other.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Britney shared a glam photo of the “Lose You to Love Me” singer and raved about their friendship.
“She came to my wedding,” the Grammy winner began. “I had no idea !!! I was SO HAPPY !!! She told me ‘I just want you to be happy’ three times.”
Britney continued, “I appreciate ALL the mental health speeches she does for our generation … Two hour specials with representatives … You’re such a special person and I had to share this picture … I thought it would make her happy !!!”
It didn’t take long for Selena to return the kind words, writing in a comment, “I’m speechless.”
“Britney-you are so kind and have the most beautiful soul. I am beyond lucky to know you,” Selena continued. “you deserve all the happiness in the world!”
This isn’t the first time Britney publicly praised Selena. The two first began bonding on Instagram in May 2021 when Selena shared a video of her younger self belting out Britney’s 2000 song “Don’t Go Knockin’ on My Door.”
In July 2021, Britney shared the unexpected gift from her fellow former Disney star — a gorgeous purple tie-dye bikini, along with several offerings from her Rare Beauty makeup line.
The two also bonded over tattoos, with Britney saying the “Wolves” singer’s watercolor rose tattoo on the back of her neck made her want to get one, too.
Selena most recently attended Britney’s wedding to Sam Asghari, and she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that it was a beautiful ceremony.
(OXFORD, Miss.) — The search continues for 20-year-old Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee, who has now been missing for 10 days.
Lee was last seen on the morning of July 8 after leaving the Campus Walk Apartments dressed in “a silver robe or housecoat, gold cap, and gray slippers,” according to authorities.
Three days later, Lee’s vehicle was found at a local towing company after it was removed from the Molly Barr Trails Apartment complex, where he was believed to be visiting someone, according to Oxford, Mississippi, police.
Lee’s family, meanwhile, is desperate for answers as the search drags on without success.
“We’re just holding in strength with faith the size of a mustard seed. That’s all we’re holding onto — that faith in that strength and staying strong. Not only for ourselves, but we’re staying strong for Jay Lee,” Lee’s sister, Tayla Carey, told Meridian, Mississippi ABC affiliate WTOK.
Lee’s father spoke out in a Facebook video on July 13 urging anyone with any new information to reach out to authorities.
“I’m asking that if anyone knows anything, or sees anything, say something,” Lee’s father, Jimmie Lee Sr., said.
Lee’s father described Lee as a hard worker and said his son was working to increase access to baby formula during the current nationwide shortage.
“My son, he’s currently working on an effort to provide infant formula for children that didn’t have it available to them,” Lee’s father said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, he was there to help if he saw the need.”
The Oxford, Mississippi, and University of Mississippi police departments are currently collaborating on the investigation to search for Lee.
“The departments are utilizing all available resources to track tips, potential witnesses, speaking with friends, running search warrants, canvassing areas, and collecting evidence,” the police departments said in a press release.
Crimestoppers has pledged $1,000 to anyone who brings forward information that leads to Lee being found.
The two police departments said on Thursday that “over a dozen search warrants have been executed on both physical and digital entities.”
Lee’s vehicle is now in the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory for processing, police said, but authorities and the Lee family continue to emphasize the need for more information to help locate Lee.
“This is my plea that you help find my child,” Lee’s father said.
(WASHINGTON) — The House is set to vote on a bill Tuesday that would codify same-sex marriage into federal law — the move coming in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month, after which Justice Clarence Thomas announced the court should “reconsider” its past rulings on rights to contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.
Thomas, in his concurrence to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, wrote that the Supreme Court should reconsider decisions involving a constitutional right to privacy that guarantees fundamental rights — including same-sex marriage and access to contraception.
His opinion sparked alarm among activists and Democratic lawmakers.
In response, bipartisan group of House members and senators introduced the bill, the Respect for Marriage Act on Monday, which would enshrine marriage equality for the purposes of federal law and provide additional legal protections for marriage equality.
“The Supreme Court’s extremist and precedent-ignoring decision in Dobbs v. Jackson has shown us why it is critical to ensure that federal law protects those whose constitutional rights might be threatened by Republican-controlled state legislatures,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement Monday.
“LGBTQ Americans and those in interracial marriages deserve to have certainty that they will continue to have their right to equal marriage recognized, no matter where they live, should the Court act on Justice Thomas’ draconian suggestion that the 2013 United States v. Windsor and 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges rulings be reconsidered or if it were to overturn Loving v. Virginia,” Hoyer said.
The Respect for Marriage Act also would officially repeal the Defense Against Marriage Act, which specifically defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allowed individual states to not recognize same-sex marriage that were recognized under other states’ laws.
The law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in cases as recently as 2013 and 2015, but it remains “on the books,” Democrats have said. The House will would repeal the statute once and for all.
The bill also requires, for federal law purposes, that an individual be considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed, which would give same sex and interracial couples additional certainty that they will “continue to enjoy equal treatment under federal law as all other married couples.”
The bill also prohibits any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out of state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the individuals in the marriage, provides the Attorney General with the authority to pursue enforcement actions, and creates a private right of action for any individual harmed by a violation of this provision.
“Maine voters legalized same-sex marriages in our state nearly a decade ago, and since Obergefell, all Americans have had the right to marry the person whom they love,” Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said in a statement. “During my time in the Senate, I have been proud to support legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, from strengthening hate crime prevention laws, to repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ to ensuring workplace equality. This bill is another step to promote equality, prevent discrimination, and protect the rights of all Americans.”
The bill is expected to pass along party lines in the House later this week. It’s unclear, at this point, how many Republicans will vote with Democrats on the bill.
Later this week, the House is also set to vote on a bill that would protect a person’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception.
The votes this week come after the House passed two bills related to abortion access on Friday.
It’s unclear if the Senate will take any of the bills up for consideration ahead of the planned August recess at the end of this month.
With a photo of the movie’s “clapper” posted to the film’s official social media channels, Dune: Part Two officially got underway Monday.
The follow-up to Denis Villeneuve‘s Oscar-winning sci-fi epic reunites much of the original cast, including Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Timothée Chalamet, and adds Black Widow‘s Florence Pugh, Elvis‘ Austin Butler, No Man’s Land star Souheila Yacoub, former Bond girl Léa Seydoux and Oscar winner Christopher Walken to the mix.
The anticipated sequel is due in theaters October 20, 2023.
Rob Zombie‘s film adaptation of The Munsters will make its debut this fall on Netflix.
That news comes from the “Dragula” rocker himself, who has announced in an Instagram post that his movie will premiere on the streaming service this fall alongside Wednesday, a live-action series directed by Tim Burton based on the character from the other monster family sitcom of the ’60s, The Addams Family.
“This fall we are gonna spook-out like it’s 1964!” Zombie writes. “Yep, The Munsters and The Addams Family are returning to the boob tube at the same time courtesy of @netflix.”
“It’s been 58 years since this clash of the titans first happened,” he adds. “Perfect entertainment for your pumpkin carving party.”
Zombie’s The Munsters stars Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie and Daniel Roebuck as Herman, Lily and Grandpa Munster, respectively. Its first trailer, which focuses on how Herman and Lily first met, premiered last week.
