In the book, Loggins details his many musical endeavors, including his work as a member of the popular duo Loggins & Messina, his collaborations with Stevie Nicks and Michael McDonald, and his 1980s solo heyday as the “King of the Movie Soundtracks” thanks to hits featured in films like Top Gun, Footloose and Caddyshack.
Also in the memoir, Kenny shares his recollections of participating in the all-star 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”
In addition, Loggins discusses his two divorces, his struggles with addiction and his difficult relationship with his older brother, singer/songwriter Dan Loggins, who inspired the hit “Danny’s Song.”
Loggins tells ABC Audio that one of his favorite stories in the book involved the making of his 1991 album Leap of Faith.
Kenny explains that he was while working on the record, a truck that was transporting the master tapes and some musical gear to another studio was stolen. This happened at a time when the project was already overbudget, and when his label’s new president, Don Ienner, demanded to hear the album before deciding whether or not to drop Kenny.
Loggins says he took a chance and kept working on overdubs with hopes that the tapes would be recovered, and they were a few weeks later. After finishing the album, Kenny says he played it for Ienner, who loved it, and it wound up yielding five singles.
“[I]t turned out to be probably the most commercial record I ever had,” Loggins notes.
Meanwhile, Loggins will take part in a livestreamed event this Wednesday, June 15, at 3 p.m. ET at PremiereCollectibles.com during which he’ll sign copies of Still Alright that will be available at the website.
(MOSCOW) — A court in Russia has extended the pre-trial detention for WNBA star Brittney Griner.
Griner, who was detained in February, will remain in custody at least through July 2, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.
The 31-year-old was taken into custody at Sheremetyevo International Airport, near Moscow, on Feb. 17 after officials allegedly found vape cartridges with hashish oil in her bag. Hasish oil is illegal to possess in Russia.
Her detention was extended for another 18 days at “the request of the investigation,” according to a representative from the Khimki Court of the Moscow Region, per TASS.
Griner has been detained in a Russian prison for 117 days, more than three months. She was visiting Russia in February to play basketball for the Russian Premier League team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the offseason when she was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow for allegedly having vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil — an illegal substance in Russia.
She was charged with “large-scale transportation of drugs” and could face up to 10 years in prison, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained” in Russia, which means that the U.S. would work to negotiate her release.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, told GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts last month that the support her wife has received from the league has brought the WNBA star “comfort” amid her detention.
The WNBA, which kicked off its 2022 season on May 6, is honoring Griner with a floor decal bearing her initials and jersey number (No. 42) on the sideline of all 12 WNBA courts.
“Things like that matter, like, it has her hopeful,” Cherelle Griner told Roberts. “It lets her know she’s not forgotten.”
“Those small moments, I know, give her some type of hope,” she added.
WNBA star Brittney Griner’s pre-trial detention in Russia extended as US works to negotiate her release
The 6-foot-9 center won an NCAA title at Baylor in 2012; a WNBA title with Phoenix, her current team, in 2014; and gold medals with the U.S. women’s team at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
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.
Cherelle Griner said that she would like to speak with President Joe Biden.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last month that a U.S. consular officer was able to meet with Griner on May 19.
Price said the officer “found her continuing to do as well as could be expected under these exceedingly challenging circumstances.”
“But again, our message is a clear and simple one — we continue to insist that Russia allow consistent and timely consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees,” he added. “One-off visits are not sufficient, and we will continue to call on Moscow to uphold its commitments under the Vienna Convention for consistent and timely access, as well.”
WNBA Players Association president says Brittney Griner is detained in Russia ‘because of a gender issue’
The Phoenix Mercury said Monday the team and coaching staff had met with State Department officials and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., while they were in Washington, D.C.
“We’re here to do whatever we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game and anything else that’s going on in our lives,” Mercury star and longtime teammate Diana Taurasi said in a statement following the meetings. “We want BG to come home as soon as possible, it’s number one on our list.”
Cherelle Griner said she hadn’t spoken to Brittney since just after her arrest since her cellphone was confiscated, but she has corresponded in a few letters.
“Every single day matters for me to be sound, for me to be alert, for me to be attentive, to make sure that she comes back,” she told Good Morning America in late May.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford, Natalia Shumskaia and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Jan. 6 committee announced Tuesday morning that its hearing set for Wednesday has been postponed — but conflicting explanations were offered as to why.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill following the committee’s announcement that there was no issue with witnesses in moving the hearing but “technical issues.”
“It’s just technical issues. I mean, we were, you know, the staff putting together all the videos, you know, doing 1-2-3, It was overwhelming, so we’re trying to give them a little room,” she said. “It’s not a big deal.”
Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe earlier, she said “putting together the video exhibits is an exhausting exercise for our very small video staff … it’s just too much to put it all together.”
But when asked later if Lofgren’s explanation of the hearing postponement is accurate, a committee aide said “no.”
The aide said the hearing has been “postponed to accommodate scheduling demands.”
Not long after the committee issued a statement saying, “The postponement is due to a number of scheduling factors, including production timeline and availability of members and witnesses.”
The hearing’s focus was to be then-President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on the Justice Department to back his false claims of election fraud.
Former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen had accepted an invitation from the Jan. 6 committee to appear at Wednesday’s hearing, alongside his then-deputy Richard Donoghue and one of DOJ’s former top attorneys Steve Engel, according to a letter obtained by ABC News sent from Rosen’s attorney to the committee.
In an interview with Gayle King as part of Tribeca Film Festival’s Directors Series Monday night, Tyler Perry shed light on Will Smith‘s infamous Oscar night slap of presenter Chris Rock.
Perry was seen by Smith’s side after the assault and foul-mouthed lambasting of Rock, who’d made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. He denied he was “comforting” Smith during a commercial break.
“There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1,” Perry explained, according to People. “And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay.”
“Trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris,” Perry expressed, calling Rock “a pure champion for the way he handled it.”
He noted, “…something happened that was extremely painful for [Will] as well.”
Perry added, “That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him….”
“And I’ll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe…he did it.”
“I’m looking at this man in his eyes going, ‘What are you doing? This is your night,'” Perry recalled, explaining the incident sullied, “one of the crowning moments of his career…”
“I just read his book,” the actor continued of Smith, “and there’s this moment about not being able to protect his mother [as a child]…And if that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time. I know Will. I know him well.”
The filmmaker noted Smith is “very much in reflection” about the incident, for which the King Richard star apologized, and which got him banned from Motion Picture Academy events for 10 years.
The Wanted‘s Tom Parker passed away from brain cancer in March, and shortly after, it was revealed Ed Sheeran helped pay for his treatments.
His widow, Kelsey Parker, is ready to talk about Ed’s good deed and revealed how she thanked the “Shivers” singer for his kindness after running into him at a recent music festival.
“Ed was just amazing, just an unbelievable person,” she told the British talk show Lorraine. “I actually got him a gift and I got him some crystals.”
Kelsey admits it was difficult trying to think of how to thank Ed, noting, “What do you get someone who’s got everything?”
“What he did for us, for our family, to give me more time with Tom… He’s an unbelievable person. He didn’t need to do that,” she continued of Ed’s selflessness. “And he didn’t even ask me anything from it.”
It was revealed in Parker’s posthumous memoir, Hope, that Ed “helped out with my medical bills when I was seeking other treatment options and having private immunotherapy.”
Calling Ed a “very special man,” the memoir continued, “He didn’t need to do any of that, but my wife Kelsey and I are so grateful to him for his support. It meant the world.”
As previously reported, Parker was diagnosed in October 2020 with an inoperable glioblastoma, a stage four brain tumor. Kelsey confirmed his passing on March 30. Aside from his wife, he left behind their almost three-year-old daughter, Aurelia, and one-year-old son, Bodhi.
Ed paid tribute to Parker after the tragic news broke, writing on Instagram, “So sad to hear of Tom’s passing. Thoughts and love are with Kelsey, his children and his family. Very sad day, what a lovely guy.”
Metallica has announced a collaboration with the guitar instruction platform Yousician.
The course allows you to jam alongside ‘Tallica members James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett as they take a deep dive into their approach and technique.
“So, you want to play like Metallica?” Hetfield asks in a trailer for the program. “The best way to play like us is to play with us.”
“The Metallica x Yousician courses get guitar players up close and personal with the master musicians they idolize,” says Hadley Spanier, Yousician’s Head of Artist Partnerships. “Players will have the opportunity to learn how to play like Metallica straight from Metallica!”
“The unique course pairs unmatched access to the band with Yousician’s AI technology so that guitarists-in-training not only get to learn from the masters, but also get the feedback they need to improve,” Spanier explains. “Players will feel like they are part of the band, playing alongside their idols as they try to master some of the greatest guitar-driven songs of all time.”
The course offers lessons on 10 Metallica songs including “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Master of Puppets,” which, as Hetfield quips, you’ll learn to play “the real way.”
Sheen and Richards in 2003 – Jim Spellman/WireImage
Charlie Sheen may have had a well-earned reputation for being a wild man, but he’s still a dad, and he’s apparently none too pleased his daughter Sam “Sami” Sheen now has an OnlyFans account.
According to Page Six, Sami’s recent launch on the controversial site, which occurred shortly after she turned 18, didn’t sit well with Charlie, who blamed his ex-wife Denise Richards for letting it happen.
“She is 18 years old now and living with her mother. This did not occur under my roof,” the former Two and a Half Men star told the publication,” adding, “I do not condone this, but since I’m unable to prevent it, I urged her to keep it classy, creative and not sacrifice her integrity.”
For her part, Richards, with whom Sami now lives after a rough patch in their relationship, replied to Page Six, “Sami is 18, and this decision wasn’t based on whose house she lives in. All I can do as a parent is guide her and trust her judgment, but she makes her own choices.”
Indeed, one of the first Instagram comments Sami had in announcing her racy venture was her mom’s. “I will always support you & always have your back. I love you,” Richards posted.
Sami Sheen promised her Instagram viewers that for a subscription price of $19.99 a month, they’d “see more” of her on OnlyFans, on which she’d upload content “2-3 times a week.”
After revealing in February that she was “in the process of buying a new home,” we finally know where Britney Spears is moving.
Dirt reports the Grammy winner picked up the keys to her new mansion in Calabasas, California, which cost her a cool $11.8 million. The double-gated home is armed to the teeth with security, meaning Britney doesn’t have to worry about unexpected or unwanted guests dropping by.
The six bedroom, nine bathroom mansion also comes with a wine cellar, 10-seat movie theater, hand-carved fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, a patio complete with a barbecue center, gym, 55-foot pool with tiered waterfalls, spa and many other luxurious amenities.
Britney also has some new neighbors — newlyweds Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.
In other Britney news, TMZreports the “Toxic” singer has signed a major prenup with husband Sam Asghari. Both have agreed the Iranian-born actor is not entitled to any of the earnings she made before they wed — meaning should they ever part ways, Sam won’t be able to take a slice out of Britney’s $60 million dollar fortune.
(WASHINGTON) — All Yellowstone National Park entrances have been closed in the wake of “unprecedented” rainfall causing “substantial flooding, rockslides and mudslides on roadways,” the National Park Service announced Monday.
Some roads have been washed out and others are covered in mud or rocks, according to the park service. Power has also been knocked out in multiple parts of the park, officials said.
Park Superintendent Cam Sholly described it as “record flooding.”
The flooding was sparked by near record-high temperatures melting high-elevation snow over the weekend. Rivers are at peak levels now and are forecast to recede in the next few days.
The park service didn’t say when Yellowstone would reopen but noted that officials need time to assess the damage and wait for conditions to stabilize.
The closure will last through Wednesday at a minimum. The park service warned that many roads could be shuttered “for an extended period of time.”
The massive national park spans 2,219,789 acres, mostly in Wyoming but also in neighboring Montana and Idaho. Summer is the park’s busiest tourist season.
ABC News’ Max Golembo and Dan Peck contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A yearslong legal attempt to get Happy, an elephant residing at the Bronx Zoo, transferred to an elephant sanctuary failed Tuesday when New York’s highest court rejected a petition from the Nonhuman Rights Project.
The group filed a writ of habeas corpus on Happy’s behalf, suggesting a legal instrument that has safeguarded the liberty of humans, by providing a means to secure release from illegal custody, should also apply to an elephant.
The New York Court of Appeals disagreed, though it said Happy was entitled to proper care.
“Because the writ of habeas corpus is intended to protect the liberty right of human beings to be free of unlawful confinement, it has no applicability to Happy, a nonhuman animal who is not a ‘person’ subjected to illegal detention,” the decision said. “Thus, while no one disputes that elephants are intelligent beings deserving of proper care and compassion, the courts below properly granted the motion to dismiss the petition for a writ of habeas corpus, and we therefore affirm.”
Happy has lived at the zoo for 50 years.
The elephant was part of a 2006 study published in the journal Science that described her ability to recognize herself in a mirror as evidence of human-like self-awareness. As such, Nonhuman Rights Project asserted, the elephant was not a thing lacking rights but akin to a person with a fundamental right to liberty based on the principle of habeas corpus, which guards against unlawful detention.
The Nonhuman Rights Project first filed a writ of habeas corpus arguing for Happy’s legal personhood and seeking her release from the zoo in 2018. A New York City judge denied the habeas corpus relief in 2020. The state Court of Appeals granted an appeal last year.
In a statement Tuesday, the Nonhuman Rights Project said that the court’s decision to reject its petition “is not just a loss for Happy, whose freedom was at stake in this case and who remains imprisoned in a Bronx Zoo exhibit. It’s also a loss for everyone who cares about upholding and strengthening our most cherished values and principles of justice — autonomy, liberty, equality, and fairness — and ensuring our legal system is free of arbitrary reasoning and that no one is denied basic rights simply because of who they are.”
The group said it plans to continue its campaign for her release and “consider our legal options and next steps in New York.”
ABC News has reached out to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Bronx Zoo, for comment.
