season of Stranger Things, the often press-shy singer has shared a statement commenting on the song’s resurgence.
“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix,” the statement reads. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too!”
“Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8,” Bush continues. “It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song.”
Since the new Stranger Things season, which is the first volume of the show’s two-part fourth season, premiered May 27, streams of “Running Up That Hill” have increased by 8,000%, according to Variety.
“I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July,” Bush says. The second volume of season four will premiere on Netflix July 1.
“Running Up That Hill” was originally released in 1985 as the first single off of Bush’s album, Hounds of Love. Meg Myers debuted a cover of the song in 2019, which eventually hit #1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in 2020.
After over a year of dating, Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey are over.
News that the Creed actor, 35, and Harvey, 25, split first broke over the weekend with a source telling People, “Michael and Lori are both completely heartbroken. They still love each other.”
“Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term. He let down his guard with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time,” the insider added. “They had great times together and brought out the best in each other.”
Although neither Jordan nor Harvey have publicly commented on the status of their relationship, US Weeklynotes that photos of the couple have seemingly been scrubbed from Harvey’s social media.
The SKN by LH founder and Just Mercy star were first romantically linked in 2020 before going Instagram official in January 2021.
Last week, Jack Harlow announced that as part of his partnership with KFC, he’d be introducing a signature meal at the fast-food chain. Over the weekend, he personally made sure fans got a taste of the new menu item.
As previously reported, on Saturday, a KFC in Smyrna, Georgia was transformed into Jack’s Meal HQ, giving fans in the area the first crack at Jack’s combo of KFC Mac & Cheese, Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a side of ranch, Secret Recipe Fries, and lemonade. But Billboard reports that Jack himself turned up at the location, donned a uniform and surprised some customers at the drive-thru window.
The restaurant announced Jack’s presence with a massive KFC bucket in the parking lot adorned with the Kentucky rapper’s mug.
The “First Class” artist first teamed with KFC in December to donate $250,000 to the American Red Cross for Kentucky tornado relief.
A massive collection of Hootie & the Blowfish memorabilia will now live at a very fitting location: the University of South Carolina Libraries. The members of Hootie first met UofSC and founded the band there.
The memorabilia’s been donated by longtime fan Rick Noble, who’s been collecting Hootie stuff — CDs, t-shirts, ticket stubs, posters, banners, golf balls and more — since he listened to his daughter’s copy of the band’s 1993 EP, Kootchypop.
“I really liked the band and the music. I liked the way they handled themselves. I liked the fact that it was UofSC where they met,” Noble says in a statement.
Noble first met the band in 1995 when they agreed to do a benefit concert for an event he was organizing, and they started giving him merch. The rest, he said, “was just a treasure hunt.”
You can see some of the collection on the school’s Instagram: It includes more than 500 CDs, 45 t-shirts, 65 banners and 60 magazines.
“The support of fans like Rick Noble over the past 30 years is what allowed the dreams we had as South Carolina students to become reality on stages across the world,” Hootie frontman Darius Rucker says in a statement.
He adds, “It’s such a special, full-circle moment to see his collection come home to the UofSC library and we couldn’t be more thankful to him for supporting both our band and our university.”
“Hootie & the Blowfish have always been really special to the university and definitely have supported the university,” says UofSC Libraries Dean Tom McNally says. “So, what better place for their collection to be?”
Tens of thousands of music fans filled Philadelphia’s Fairmount park over the weekend for the city’s Roots Picnic, hosted by legendary hip-hop band, The Roots. For the first time in two years, the entertainment and arts festival welcomed more than 50 podcasters and musicians, who delivered live performances throughout the picnic’s six stages and tents over the course of the two-day Black music showcase.
Mary J. Blige headlined Saturday’s show, delivering performances of popular new songs and beloved hits of the past such as “All Night Long” and “Love No Limit.” Blige was introduced by Roots co-founder and Philadelphia native, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, who, earlier in the day, drew fans close to the festival’s main stage with his performance alongside Rick Ross and Benny the Butcher.
Another Philadelphia’s native, Jazmine Sullivan, also rocked the Toyota Soundstage. While sporting her sparkly blue two-piece outfit, she encouraged fans to sing along to songs from her Grammy winning Heux Tales album, like “Bodies” and past hits like “Bust Your Windows.”
Under the cool shade of the Mann Center’s TD Pavilion, audiences enjoyed lively performances by DJ D-Nice, G Herbo and gospel legend Tye Tribbett, who brought his usual high energy with songs like “No Way” and “Victory.”
Sunday’s Mann Stage saw an electrifying performance from rising star Durand Bernarr as well as a soulful showcase of songs from Suzann Christine. Over on the main stage, up-and-coming singer Jordan Hawkins serenaded with his guitar.
The main stage rounded out on Sunday with performances by Musiq Soulchild with SWV and Keyshia Cole and Kirk Franklin who hyped up the crowd with “Melodies from Heaven” among other timeless gospel hits. Fans anxiously awaited Summer Walker who closed out the picnic with live showings of “Over It” and “Body.”
Lionsgate on Sunday released an exclusive teaser clip for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The film, per the studio, is set, years before 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, would become the tyrannical President of Panem, and with the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, he’s alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12, portrayed by Rachel Zegler. “But after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor,” leading to a “race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.” The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is due in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023…
President Joe Biden will be a guest on Wednesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, appearing in-person on the late night talk show. Kimmel made the announcement on Sunday afternoon during ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live: NBA Finals Game Night prior to the network’s broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. President Biden’s conversation with Kimmel will mark his first in-studio appearance on a late night talk show since being inaugurated in January 2021. Biden last appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2019, in the midst of his campaign during the Democratic Party presidential primary. The president guested on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2021, though he appeared via video. President Biden has also appeared on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, most recently in September 2019…
HBO Max has canceled Raised by Wolves after two seasons, according to Deadline, The series followed two androids — played by Amanda Collin and Abubakar Salim — tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet, who soon discover that controlling human beliefs is difficult, as their religious beliefs threaten to tear the colony of humans apart. “It’s not surprising, especially after the news of the mergers and what is happening at Warner, that a lot of shows are not having their stories finished,” Salim tweeted on Friday, before adding that the show’s producers and creators, were “pushing for the show to be continued in other homes.” He then urged fans to use their voices to help with his effort to resuscitate the show…
Dermot Mulroney, best known for starring alongside Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding, has joined the cast of Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Scream sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He joins Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega, who are among the returning castmembers. Hayden Panettiere — one of the stars of 2011’s Scream 4 — reprising her character. Plot details are being kept under wraps. The sixth Scream film is due to shoot this summer, with an anticipated March 31, 2023 release date…
Top Gun: Maverick spends a second week at #1. The sequel delivered an estimated $86 million, putting its total domestic gross at just under $292 million and nearly $548 million globally. Those numbers officially make Top Gun: Maverick the highest-grossing film domestically for star Tom Cruise, without adjusting for inflation, flying past 2005’s War of the Worlds.
Holding onto second place for second straight week was Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which delivered nearly $9.3 million. The movie’s five-week domestic now stands at $388.7 million. Overseas, Doctor Strange overseas has racked up $520.7 million, bringing its current global tally to $909.4 million.
The Bob’s Burger Movie grabbed an estimated $4.5 million in its second week of release for a third place finish. The big screen adaptation of the popular animated TV show has made $22.2 million in North America so far, to go along with $131 million coming from overseas, bringing it worldwide box-office total to $218.3 million.
Fourth place went to another animated comedy The Bad Guys, which collected an estimated $3.3 million in its seventh week in theaters. Its total domestic haul thus far stands at $87.3 million to go along with $131 million internationally. That bringing it current global tally to $218.3 million.
Rounding out the top five was Downton Abbey: A New Era. The film version of the beloved TV series earned an estimated $3 million. After three weeks, its scooped up $35.7 million domestically and $41 million overseas for a grand total of $76.7 million worldwide.
This week’s only debut, the David Cronenberg horror flick Crimes of the Future, starring Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart, scared up a estimated $1.1 million in North America for a 10th place finish. It added an estimated $318,637, overseas, putting its first-week global tally at around $1.4 million.
(NEW YORK) — As the midterm election approaches, most Americans say that the economy, inflation and rising gas prices are the most important issues in determining how they will vote for Congress this November, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
With inflation on the rise since last fall, Americans have been significantly affected by the rising cost of goods and services. And, more than eight in 10 Americans (83%) now say that the economy is either an extremely or very important issue in determining how they will vote, in the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
In the poll, 80% of Americans say that inflation is also an extremely or very important factor in how they will vote and for gas prices, it is 74%.
Joe Biden’s approval ratings for his handling of these key issues are all well underwater, suggesting trouble for the president and Democratic candidates ahead of the midterm. Only 37% approve of Biden’s handling of the economic recovery, and even fewer approve of his handling of inflation (28%) and gas prices (27%).
Friday, Biden spoke about the May jobs report, which saw 390,000 jobs added and unemployment remained at 3.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even though Biden said the latest jobs report was “excellent,” he acknowledged that many Americans are still worried about the economy.
“I know that even with today’s good news, a lot of Americans remain anxious, and I understand the feeling,” Biden said.
Biden’s highest approval rating is for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (56%), which is now among the least important issues to Americans, according to the ABC News/Ipsos poll.
In an April ABC News/Ipsos poll, there was a 20-point gap between Republicans and Democrats in enthusiasm to vote this November, with 55% percent of Republicans saying they were very enthusiastic about voting compared to 35% of Democrats. That gap has narrowed somewhat in this poll, but Republicans still enjoy a significant advantage with 57% saying they are enthusiastic about voting compared to 44% of Democrats.
The poll also found that gun violence (72% saying extremely or very important) and abortion (63%) are also potentially important drivers of the vote. As the nation waits to see if the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and Congress considers legislation in the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, these issues stand just below the top tier drivers of the vote.
These figures also demonstrate that while rising inflation and gas prices may be the primary factors pushing people to vote this election cycle, gun violence and abortion are also growing in importance in the mind of voters.
A separate question asking what the single most important issue will be in their vote for Congress showed a similar ranking of issue priorities. The top issues were inflation (21%), the economy (19%), gun violence (17%) and abortion (12%).
Meanwhile, 70% think that enacting new laws to reduce gun violence should be a higher priority than protecting the right to own a wide variety of guns (29%). The last time this question was asked, in March 2021, 66% said enacting new laws to reduce gun violence should be the higher priority.
Thursday, Biden addressed the American people following a string of mass shootings across the country and said that if members of Congress do not act, they will be voted out.
“If Congress fails, I believe this time a majority of the American people won’t give up. I believe the majority of you will act to turn your outrage into making this issue central to your vote. Enough,” Biden said.
Congress will hold hearings this week to address the gun violence epidemic in the country as pressure mounts on legislatures to take action to combat the rise of mass shootings.
This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted using Ipsos Public Affairs‘ KnowledgePanel® June 3-4, 2022, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 542 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 4.8 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 28-26-40 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents. See the poll’s topline results and details on the methodology here.
ABC News’ Dan Merkle and Ken Goldstein contributed to this report.
(LONDON and ABUJA, Nigeria) — Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday when gunmen attacked a church, officials said.
The bloodshed occurred at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in Ondo state, more than 200 miles southwest of Abuja, the Nigerian capital. A group of unknown gunmen stormed the church at around 11:30 a.m. local time during a service for Pentecost Sunday, with about four of the assailants open firing inside the building while others shot at worshippers outside, according to Funmilayo Ibukun Odunlami, a spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force’s command in Ondo state.
“Some lives were lost and some sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Odunlami said in a statement on Sunday, later telling ABC News on Monday that police do not yet have an estimate on the number of casualties.
Health workers at the Federal Medical Center in Owo told ABC News that at least 35 bodies had been transported to the hospital from the scene of Sunday’s attack. They said there is also an urgent need for blood donations for the many wounded.
Earlier media reports, citing local officials and hospital workers, had placed the number of dead at more than 50.
The attack remains under investigation and specialized police units have been deployed to Owo “to restore normalcy and fortify the entire community,” according to Odunlami. A motive for the massacre and the identity of the perpetrators was not immediately clear, as no group has claimed responsibility.
A U.S. official briefed on the situation told ABC News that the attack reportedly began with an explosion outside the church, followed by gunmen shooting sporadically at worshippers inside. Stray bullets also killed passersby, the official said.
One of the priests at the church, Rev. Fr. Andrew Abayomi, said they were at the end of the service and people were getting ready to leave when the first gunshot rang out.
“We hid inside the church but some people had left when the attack happened,” Abayomi told reporters in Owo on Sunday. “We locked ourselves in the church for 20 minutes. When we heard that they had left, we opened the church and rushed victims to the hospital.”
A Catholic Church spokesperson in Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Augustine Ikwu, said the attack “has left the community devastated,” but that all the priests and bishops in the parish were “safe.”
“Nonetheless, let us continue to pray for them and the good people of Owo and the state at large,” Ikwu said in a statement on Sunday.
Ondo state Gov. Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who visited the scene of the attack as well as some of the hospitalized victims, “is deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo,” according to his spokesperson, Richard Olatunde.
“The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years,” Olatunde said in a statement on Sunday. “We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay.”
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned what he described as “the heinous killing of worshippers.”
“No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light,” Buhari said in a statement on Sunday.
ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As rising prices continue to impact many across the country, some are turning to TikTok to learn budgeting strategies.
“More and more people are interested in taking control of their finances and you obviously see some of this because of the economy right now,” ABC News Chief Business Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis said. “But you have to be careful if you’re looking at this stuff, because not every size fits every person and every budget and you also have to watch out for scams.”
Based on some of the budgeting strategies that are trending on the popular app, Jarvis said some people are able to save a few hundred extra dollars a month.
To try out some of these strategies, read about them below.
50-30-20 rule
“This is 50% of your spending goes towards your needs. 30% goes towards your wants and 20% goes into your savings,” Jarvis said. “Again, a model that can work really well for people because it creates some structure but it doesn’t necessarily work for every person. But if you’re taking home $2,000, that would basically mean $1,000 goes towards your needs. $600 goes towards your wants and then $400 goes towards your savings. What you do with that savings can really create a big difference, too.”
Cash stuffing
“What cash stuffing is — you look again at your budget, you look at every area of your spending, including where you’re going to put money towards savings and you start putting it into envelopes,” Jarvis said. “You literally cash out and put everything into envelopes each month. And then at the end of the year, you have this nice little savings cash that you can unlock and it can be really fun.”
However, Jarvis said there are risks.
“The thing you have to keep in mind is that when it’s not in a bank when it’s not in an account and it’s literally cash, you can lose that. Some people even hide it to make sure they’re not spending it,” she said. “It’s not necessarily covered by homeowners insurance. So really make sure a.) you know where you’re putting it and b.) that you’re not putting it in a place that can be taken away if someone in the worst-case scenario invades your home. And finally, keep in mind it’s not going to grow.”
Jarvis added, “If you put your money into a bank savings account with a small interest rate on it, or you put your money into the stock market, in an IRA, for example, that has the ability to grow. In the cash situation, it’s not growing but you are capping your spending.”
Other great resources
While these videos may be entertaining and useful, Jarvis warned against following advice that requires you to spend more money upfront.
Two apps that are good resources to help you get started include Digit, an automated savings app that analyzes what goes in and out of your checking account. Then, it periodically moves funds from checking to savings in amounts its algorithms believe are safe to save. Another is Qapital, which aims to help users effortlessly save small amounts of money but with a twist. It lets users set up savings rules. For example, you could set up a “guilty pleasure” rule so the app stashes money into your savings every time you buy takeout.
