Avril Lavigne plans to go all out when celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Let Go — but what does she plan on doing after that? She is teasing that she might whip up something special for the holidays.
Speaking to The Guardian, Avril revealed the three things atop her bucket list: making her own Christmas album, makeup line and cookbook.
The Grammy nominee teased of her cookbook, “My food is, like, gourmet … I can do everything! Pasta, sauce, vegan, salads and soups — I can do every kind of soup.” Avril wasn’t forthcoming about when fans can get their hands on the Avril Lavigne cookbook, but the singer noted that is a “major” thing on her to-do list.
The Canadian rocker also has another thing to look forward to — the movie adaptation of her 2002 hit “Sk8er Boi.” She told the outlet that production is full steam ahead now that she has finally found a director to helm the film.
“I can’t wait to learn this process of making a movie,” she raved. She noted that she won’t stop at just making a film for “Sk8er Boi”: “I think I’ll want to make more [movies].”
Looking back at the past two decades, Avril is thrilled the generation born around or after her breakthrough album was released are falling in love with her old music — especially Gen Z stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Willow Smith.
“That younger generations are discovering my stuff and that Billie, Olivia, and Willow go out into the world and continue to shatter the mold like I did 20 years ago is super inspiring,” she said, adding that those artists saying her music inspired them is “really trippy.”
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(WASHINGTON) — A Democrat-linked lawyer charged by Special Counsel John Durham with lying to the FBI in 2016 was found not guilty a federal jury in Washington on Tuesday following a nearly two-week trial that served as the first in-court test of Durham’s more than three-year investigation into the Russia probe.
Michael Sussmann was charged by Durham last year for allegedly bringing forward a tip to a senior FBI official in September 2016 about a potential connection between computer servers for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s company and Russia’s Alfa bank — and lying about who he was representing at the time.
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service. I also want to recognize and thank the investigators and the prosecution team for their dedicated efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case,” Durham said in a statement.
Through multiple days of witness testimony and evidence exhibits displayed in the D.C. district court, Durham’s prosecutors sought to convince the jury that Sussmann brought the info to then-FBI general counsel James Baker as part of Sussmann’s work for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and a technology company executive who had worked on assembling the data.
“He knew that if he told Mr. Baker that he was there on behalf of the Clinton campaign, the chances of the FBI investigating would be diminished,” assistant special counsel Jon Algor said Friday in closing arguments.
They alleged that Sussmann set up the meeting with the hope of generating an “October surprise,” to leak that the FBI was investigating a potentially suspicious tie between Trump’s campaign and Russia at a time when Russia was carrying out its hack-and-dump campaign against the Democrats.
While Sussmann’s attorneys acknowledged that he was at the time representing Clinton’s campaign and a tech executive named Rodney Joffe in handling the allegations, they claimed Sussmann’s intention in setting up the meeting with Baker was to alert the FBI to what he believed was concerning information and notify them that major news outlets were also pursuing it as a story.
In their closing argument Friday, Sussmann’s attorney Sean Berkowitz accused Durham’s team of pushing baseless “political conspiracy theories” through their prosecution of Sussmann, who he said brought forth the information to Baker in genuine good faith.
As a result of Sussmann’s meeting with Baker, according to his attorneys, the FBI was able to convince the New York Times to hold off on reporting the Alfa Bank allegations while investigators evaluated the data — which they quickly determined showed nothing nefarious. When the Times did eventually report on the Alfa Bank matter, it was part of a pre-election piece with the headline, ‘Investigating Trump, FBI Sees No Clear Link To Russia.’
“The meeting … is the exact opposite of what the Clinton campaign would have wanted,” Sussmann’s attorney Michael Bosworth said last week.
The two-week trial featured testimony from a host of current and former law enforcement officials as well as former key figures in Clinton’s campaign.
While the charge leveled against Sussmann was narrow, in the months since his indictment Durham used the case to bring forward other evidence that prosecutors suggested showed a broader conspiracy, alleging Clinton’s campaign and other political operatives sought to gin up and spread false accusations to smear Trump and use the nation’s law enforcement agencies as political tools.
But Marc Elias, the Clinton campaign’s former general counsel, and Robby Mook, the campaign’s manager, testified there was no discussion in the highest levels of the campaign about ordering or authorizing anyone to bring the Alfa Bank allegations directly to the FBI.
While Mook acknowledged that Clinton herself at one point signed off on disseminating the unverified allegations to the press so journalists could “vet” and report them out, he sought to throw cold water on the that the campaign believed it would have benefited from getting the FBI involved.
“Going to the FBI does not seem like an effective way to get information out to the public,” Mook said.
Mook said that after Clinton authorized sending the Alfa Bank data out to journalists, a press official — not Sussmann — was tasked with pushing it out to reporters. A report on the allegations was later published by Slate days before the election, though it made no mention of the FBI’s investigation into the data.
Sussmann’s attorneys also focused their strategy around undercutting testimony from the government’s star witness, Baker, who said under questioning from the special counsel’s office last week that he was “100% confident” that Sussmann told him in their Sep. 19 meeting he was not there on behalf of a particular client.
That testimony, Sussmann’s attorneys noted, directly conflicted with past statements Baker had made in interviews under oath with congressional investigators and the DOJ’s inspector general — where he either said that he believed Sussmann was there on behalf of unnamed cybersecurity experts or didn’t remember if Sussmann had mentioned representing clients one way or another.
But prosecutors also entered evidence this week showing that Sussmann had billed several flash drives he purchased days before the meeting to the Clinton campaign — two of which Durham says Sussmann provided to Baker in their meeting that included the unverified data purporting to show a connection between Trump and Alfa bank.
Additionally, they flagged multiple hours of time entries Sussmann had billed to the Clinton Campaign and the tech executive Rodney Joffe leading up to and after the meeting with Baker, where he wrote he was working on ‘confidential’ issues that Durham says was in reference to the Trump-Alfa bank allegations.
“If an opponent had brought this information, [the FBI] would want to know more about it,” Algor said. “They would question the credibility of the source and whether the FBI was being used — being played by politics.”
In the three years since Durham was initially assigned to look into the origins of the Russia investigation, he has secured one guilty plea of a former lawyer with the FBI who admitted to doctoring an email that was used to support a surveillance application that targeted a former Trump campaign aide.
The only other indictment brought by Durham outside of Sussmann was against Igor Danchenko, a lead analyst who contributed to the now-infamous Steele Dossier, who was charged last year with five counts of lying to the FBI about who his sources were for claims in the dossier. Danchenko has pleaded not guilty to all counts and his case is set for trial in Virginia in the fall.
The FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was not launched as a result of the Alfa Bank allegations or the Steele Dossier, and neither eventually factored into findings released by special counsel Robert Mueller following his two-year investigation. While Mueller’s probe found numerous instances of contacts between Trump campaign officials and individuals with ties to Russia’s government, he determined evidence didn’t support charging any individuals of engaging in a criminal conspiracy with Russia.
Elvis Costello has reunited with an early musical collaborator, singer/guitarist Allan Mayes, to record an EP celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rusty, the band they played in together in 1972 and ’73.
The six-song collection, Rusty: The Resurrection of Rust, will be available via digital formats on June 10, while a CD version will be released in the U.S. on July 1. In England, Costello began selling CD copies of Rusty at a series of in-person events that began Sunday, May 29. A vinyl LP will be issued at a later date.
The EP features versions of songs that were originally part of Rusty’s live repertoire, including two tunes Nick Lowe wrote for his 1970s pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz — “Surrender to the Rhythm” and “Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love” — and an arrangement that incorporates Neil Young‘s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” and “Dance, Dance, Dance.” The latter track features Costello’s debut performance on electric violin.
The Rusty EP also includes two original compositions — “Warm House,” which Costello penned in 1971, and “Maureen and Sam,” which Costello and Mayes co-wrote.
Costello and Mayes recorded the EP with backing from Costello’s band, The Imposters.
Costello — then known as D.P. McManus — joined Rusty on New Year’s Day 1972. The group played dozens of venues in and around their hometown of Liverpool, England, during the next year, but split up without ever recording.
Costello says the EP came about after Mayes — who now lives in Austin, Texas — contacted him to remind him that the 50th anniversary of him joining Rusty was approaching.
Costello notes that when Mayes suggested they get together to play some old songs, Costello responded, “Absolutely not! Let’s make the record we would have cut when we were 18, if anyone had let us.”
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Wedding bells are in the air for Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley.
After People reported over the holiday weekend that the Bleachers frontman and the Maid actor had gotten engaged, Qualley confirmed the news in an Instagram post Tuesday morning.
“Oh I love him!” Qualley wrote in the caption alongside photos of her hugging Antonoff and flashing her new engagement ring.
Antonoff, 38, and Qualley, 27, were first reported to be dating last August. Antonoff was previously in a five-year relationship with Girls creator and star Lena Dunham, while Qualley last dated Shia LaBeouf.
Falling in Reverse has premiered a new single called “Voices in My Head.”
The track is accompanied by a video, which sees frontman Ronnie Radke being hunted down and killed by alternate versions of himself.
“I wanted to capture what it’s like battling with your past, present, and future perception of self, and the voices in everyone’s head hindering them from their full potential,” Radke says.
You can listen to “Voices in My Head” now via digital outlets and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.
“Voices in My Head” follows January’s “Zombified,” which hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Both tracks will appear on Falling in Reverse’s upcoming EP, Neon Zombie.
Falling in Reverse will join Papa Roach for a U.S. co-headlining tour in July.
Bad news for Snoop Dogg’s international fans. The rapper has canceled all of his non-U.S. tour dates for the rest of 2022.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Snoop cites “unforeseen scheduling conflicts, including family obligations and upcoming tv and film projects” as the reason for the cancellations.
“He was excited to see his fans around the world and apologies to all that had already made plans to see his show,” the statement reads. “He looks forward to rescheduling dates in the future.”
Snoop had been scheduled to perform shows across the U.K. and Europe from August 26 to September 19. He was also scheduled to tour Australia this October and November, which would’ve marked his first time performing on the continent since 2014. Those dates will likely be rescheduled for February 2023, according to Billboard.
Snoop’s remaining U.S. tour dates for the year will go on as planned.
BTS will visit the White House Tuesday around 2 p.m. ET and, ahead of their meeting with President Joe Biden, several senators took to social media to crown themselves the biggest BTS fan.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, engaged in a fun war of words with Delaware Sen. Chris Coons. It all started when journalist Natalie Andrews spoke of the Hawaiian Democrat hoping to score an invite to the meeting. Andrews tweeted, “‘I’m the only U.S. Senator who knows who BTS is,’ says Sen. @maziehirono , looking for her invite to the White House to see the group.”
Coons jokingly took it as a challenge and responded with a photo of his BTS collectibles, writing, “Not even close. #BTSARMY.”
Hirono fired back almost immediately, “If you’re a true fan, who’s your bias? And don’t ask your staff.”
Coons has not responded to the Hawaiian senator’s rebuff, leading fans to speculate which members of BTS are the senator’s favorites.
Others pointed out that Coons and Hirono may be the only vocal BTS admirers on Capitol Hill but that they may be working with some closeted BTS fans, so they can’t claim the title of biggest fan.
Meanwhile, others noted that they are in good company with Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who previously shouted out the “Butter” singers in a lovely tweet thanking them for their sold-out Las Vegas concert series. She congratulated the Grammy nominees for their successful four-night run, which “supported countless businesses across the city.”
BTS is meeting with Biden to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, as well as to address Asian inclusion, representation and anti-Asian discrimination amid a wave of hate crimes in the country. They will also discuss the importance of diversity, inclusion and serving the globe as international role models.
(NEW YORK) — Break out the sunscreen, hats and water bottles: record high temperatures are possible in the Northeast Tuesday afternoon.
Temperatures are forecast to skyrocket to 94 degrees in New York City, 97 degrees in Philadelphia, 95 degrees in Washington, D.C., and 90 degrees in Pittsburgh.
The record high temperatures currently stand at 96 degrees for New York City, 97 for Philadelphia and 99 for D.C.
In Baltimore, students at public schools without air conditioning will be released at noon on Tuesday, according to the school district.
Philadelphia students will also be dismissed early due to the heat, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported.
This dangerous heat won’t last long for New York City, with temperatures falling to around 70 degrees on Wednesday. But the Philadelphia and D.C. areas will still be near 90 degrees Wednesday.
Click here to learn tips to stay safe in the heat.
Summer is speeding up for Thomas Rhett, as he has the #1 song in country music this week.
The singer welcomed in summer this weekend with his single “Slow Down Summer” rising to #1 on the country charts. Thomas shared the news via video, saying that after taking nighttime pictures on the beach with daughter Lennon, “Slow Down Summer” came on the radio. In the video the 2-year-old is sitting on her dad’s lap as the song blasts through the speakers of their Jeep with the windows and top down.
“Sitting ‘in park’ in the car with Lennon and this is the first song we hear. Can’t wait to see all of you on the road this summer. Love all of y’all so much,” Thomas shares in the caption, adding that he feels “very grateful for everyone involved in the process,” including his co-writers, family, country radio and the fans.
“Slow Down Summer” is the superstar’s 19th #1 hit. It’s the lead single off his latest album, Where We Started.
Ruby Barker, who plays Marina Thompson on Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton, is now in a better place, following recent treatment in a hospital for unspecified “mental health struggles.”
Barker took to Instagram in a video recorded while she was soaking in a hot tub to update her followers, thanking her family, friends, and doctors for their support. “You’ve made me feel so happy to be alive,” she said, “and I’m so grateful for that.”
She commented, “it really made me feel less alone,” and hoped “shining a light” on her own troubles can help others. “I can’t wait for the future,” Barker smiled. “I’m doing OK for myself.”
She added, “If I have any advice for my younger self, I would just tell myself, it’s not all doom and gloom, even if you hit rock bottom.”
Barker added some advice from her Bridgerton co-star Claudia Jessie. “She told me to flip the coin…’It might be dull on one side, but just flip the coin, and you’ll find it shiny on the other.'”
“Find the funny, find the light,” she continued. “Anyone who is in a dark place right now…I see you. I feel you. Find the funny and flip that coin.”
