Ari Lennox went Instagram official on Thursday with her rumored new boyfriend, Married at First Sight contestant, Keith Manley II.
The Grammy-nominated singer posted a photo of herself, later shared by The Neighborhood Talk, cozied up to the reality TV star and sitting comfortably with her leg propped up on his, while he snapped a picture of the two.
According to multiple reports, the duo appeared to be in San Diego together for a wedding recently, and even shared a series of pictures from the events and outings they attended.
The photos came as a surprise to many who remember Manley from the ninth season of Married at First Sight, as he went on to marry Iris Caldwell; they later divorced.
Lennox has publicly opened up about her relationship and dating life. Last year, she talked with singer Sevyn Streeter and choreographer Aliya Janell as part of Essence Magazine’sIf Not for My Girlsabout how she was “bored” with the men in her life.
“Or I’ll find someone incredibly interesting and then, like, the sex is terrible. And I’m sorry, but that’s important,” she said before adding that some potential partners were scared of her dog.
Seems like Manley might’ve passed both of those tests — if so, congrats to the new couple!
Revenge is a dish best served cold — but The Kid LAROI chose to enact his over a hot mic.
The “Stay” singer was in Adelaide, Australia, for a concert and opened up about his memories of living in the area. Telling the audience he went to school in the area “for, like, nine months,” he decided to call out the former teacher — by name — who told him he wouldn’t make it in music.
Claiming the teacher “sat me down one day” for a heart-to-heart, LAROI said he was told, “You’re not doing your work, you’ve got to quit music, it’s not going to do anything for you, you’re never going to go anywhere with it.”
Daily Mailreports a member of the audience said they had the same teacher, to which the singer quipped, “Tell her I said ‘F*** you,’ because look at me now!”
After taking a beat, the Grammy nominee said, “I only got love in my heart” for the teacher.
Despite a few claims from the audience, it is unknown if the teacher was at the concert to hear LAROI’s hot take.
Carrie Underwood and Maren Morris, two country stars who worked with the late Deborah McCrary in the studio, have posted remembrances of the gospel singer, who was one fourth of The McCrary Sisters.
“I was blessed to have worked with her on so many occasions,” wrote Carrie, who most recently brought The McCrary Sisters into the studio during the recording of her holiday album, My Gift.
“She was always kind…always professional…always the anchor in whatever it was we were singing!” Carrie added. “I know she will be missed by so, so many.”
For her part, Maren posted video of her performance of “My Church” from the 2016 CMA Awards. Not only did The McCrary Sisters join her for that performance, but the foursome also lent their vocals to the studio version of Maren’s breakout hit.
“It is such a loss to Nashville and the entire music industry to lose Deborah McCrary today,” Maren wrote. “I’m praying for her family.”
Deborah McCrary died on June 1 at age 67. Along with her sisters Ann, Regina and Alfreda, Deborah was a mainstay gospel performer who appeared on festival and awards show stages, on records for many artists across genres, and was part of the “house band” at the annual Americana Honors & Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Information about services and an honorarium is forthcoming, according to a statement from the vocal group.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 03, 12:39 pm
EU issues latest package of sanctions
The European Union announced a new package of sanctions targeting Russia on Friday. The EU is banning all sea transfers of crude oil from Russia after a six-month transitory period, to allow for the market to adjust.
The EU will also ban imports (sea transfers) of refined petroleum products from Russia, after an eight-month transitory period.
The EU also added 65 new individuals to its sanctions list, including retired Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva. She became chair of the board of the National Media Group and previously sat as a deputy in Russia’s State Duma.
Kabaeva was sanctioned by the U.K. on May 13, which said she is alleged to have a close personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has not been sanctioned by the U.S.
Jun 03, 12:17 pm
Marriott suspends all operations in Russia
Marriott International announced Friday that it will suspend all its operations in Russia, after operating there for 25 years, due to the conflict in Ukraine.
It said the suspension comes as newly announced U.S., U.K. and EU restrictions will make it impossible for it to operate or franchise hotels in Russia.
Marriott closed its corporate office in Moscow and all upcoming hotels and future developments and investments were paused on March 10.
The company also announced it has given $1 million in disaster relief funds for associates and their families who have been directly affected by the war. Lodging is being offered to refugees from Ukraine at 85 hotels in neighboring countries.
Jun 03, 7:50 am
Russia now controls over 90% of Luhansk region
Russia now controls over 90% of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast and “is likely to complete control in the next two weeks,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Friday in an intelligence update.
“Russia is now achieving tactical success in the Donbas. Russian forces have generated and maintained momentum and currently appear to hold the initiative over Ukrainian opposition,” the ministry said. “Russia has achieved these recent tactical successes at significant resource cost, and by concentrating force and fires on a single part of the overall campaign.”
Russia has been unable to advance its other fronts or axes, “all of which have transitioned to the defensive,” according to the ministry. In fact, the ministry noted, none of the strategic objectives of Moscow’s original plan have been achieved.
Russian forces failed to achieve their initial objectives to seize Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other major cities.
“Staunch Ukrainian resistance and the failure to secure Hostomel airfield in the first 24 hours led to Russian offensive operations being repulsed,” the ministry said. “Following the failure of the initial plan, through false planning assumptions and poor tactical execution, Russia adapted its operational design to focus on the Donbas.”
Russian forces are now battling Ukrainian troops for control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which comprises Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
“In order for Russia to achieve any form of success will require continued huge investment of manpower and equipment, and is likely to take considerable further time,” the ministry added.
Jun 03, 5:49 am
100 days of war
Friday marked the 100th day since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine.
In a statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the “full-scale invasion” as a “continuation of Russia’s aggressive actions it unleashed 8 years ago by occupying Crimea and parts of territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
“Today, our people defend not only their right to exist and live in an independent state, but the security of Europe and the whole democratic world,” the ministry said. “Every day our defenders, at the cost of their own lives, bravely repel Russia’s war machine and fight for freedom and peaceful future of the continent.”
“For 100 days of war, the Kremlin has failed to reach its main goal — conquest of Ukraine,” the ministry added. “Instead, Russia has become the most sanctioned state in the world, and its activities within international organizations and participation in international events have been significantly limited or stopped. The Ukrainian army is bravely holding the line and has liberated territories in a number of regions. Ukraine is determined to have a complete victory over the Russian invader.”
The ministry thanked the “dozens of countries around the world who provide significant support” to Ukraine. It also called on the international community to support the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
“In order to stop Russia’s crimes against the Ukrainian people, destruction of our economy and blackmail of the whole world by famine, consistent support for Ukraine should continue. Assistance to our state today is the best investment in peace and sustainable development of all mankind,” the ministry said. “The main pillars for our victory remain unchanged: maximum sanction pressure on Russia, deliveries of necessary weapons and granting Ukraine the status of candidate on the way to full-fledged EU membership.”
Meanwhile, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova applauded progress that’s been made in the so-called special military operation in Ukraine.
“The special military operation will be continued until all of its objectives declared by the Russian administration, including denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, are achieved,” Zakharova said at a press briefing Friday. “A lot has been done in this area: militants of the Azov nationalistic formation have surrendered in Mariupol and the liberation of Donbas has been consistently carried out.”
Jun 02, 1:34 pm
Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, Zelenskyy says
Russia now controls over 46,300 square miles of Ukraine, which accounts for about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Since Russia’s invasion began, Russian forces have gained control of over 16,602 square miles, or roughly 7% of Ukraine’s territory — an area that’s comparable to the size of the Netherlands, Zelenskyy said Thursday in a speech to the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg. Combined with the territory from Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in the Donbas region, Russia’s control of Ukraine now accounts for 20% of its territory, he said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Jun 02, 6:35 am
Ukrainian first lady sits down for exclusive interview with ABC News: ‘Don’t get used to our pain’
Since the start of Russia’s invasion, the Ukrainian first lady has been in hiding with her two children. A difficult question her 9-year-old son keeps asking is when the war will end, Olena Zelenska said in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think any Ukrainian would be able to answer that question,” Zelenska told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in her first televised solo interview since the invasion began.
In discussing the state of the conflict nearly 100 days after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine, Zelenska said that conceding territory to Russia won’t stop the war.
“You just can’t concede … parts of your territory. It’s like conceding a freedom,” Zelenska, 44, said in the interview, airing on Good Morning America Thursday. “Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing, he would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”
Jun 02, 4:34 am
Russia takes most of key city in Donbas
Russian forces have taken control of most of Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Thursday in an intelligence update.
“The main road into the Sieverodonetsk pocket likely remains under Ukrainian control but Russia continues to make steady local gains, enabled by a heavy concentration of artillery,” the ministry said. “This has not been without cost, and Russian forces have sustained losses in the process.”
Sieverodonetsk, an industrial hub, is the largest city still held by Ukrainian troops in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine’s east, which comprises the self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
“Crossing the Siverskyy Donets River — which is a natural barrier to its axes of advance –- is vital for Russian forces as they secure Luhansk Oblast and prepare to switch focus to Donetsk Oblast,” the ministry added. “Potential crossing sites include between Sieverodonetsk and the neighbouring town of Lysychansk; and near recently-captured Lyman. In both locations, the river line likely still remains controlled by Ukrainian forces, who have destroyed existing bridges.”
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are the last major cities in the Luhansk area still controlled by Ukraine.
“It is likely Russia will need at least a short tactical pause to re-set for opposed river crossings and subsequent attacks further into Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian armed forces have prepared defensive positions,” the ministry added. “To do so risks losing some of the momentum they have built over the last week.”
Jun 01, 9:27 pm
Ukraine’s first lady tells ABC News that giving up land is ‘like conceding a freedom’
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska spoke about the state of the ongoing conflict with Russia and where the Ukrainian people currently stand as a country.
In her first televised solo interview since the invasion began, Zelenska, 44, told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts that conceding territory to Russia won’t stop the war.
“You just can’t concede…parts of your territory. It’s like conceding a freedom,” Zelenska said. “Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing, he would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”
The interview with Zelenska will air Thursday, June 2, on Good Morning America and across ABC News. GMA airs at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.
Motionless in White has premiered the title track off the band’s upcoming album, Scoring the End of the World.
The song, which is available now via digital outlets, was recorded in collaboration with video game composer Mick Gordon, who also worked with Bring Me the Horizon on their Post Human: Survival Horror EP.
Scoring the End of the World the album also includes the previously released songs “Masterpiece,” “Cyberhex” and “Slaughterhouse.” The whole record drops next Friday, June 10.
Earlier this year, Motionless in White launched the Trinity of Terror Tour with Black Veil Brides and Ice Nine Kills. They’re playing a number of festivals this summer and fall, including When We Were Young in Las Vegas.
Katy Perry‘s PLAY residency is already pretty wild — it even has a talking turd — but her newest addition just might take the cake … or vape.
The Grammy nominee debuted Ratso the vaping rat on Thursday, calling him “the newest cast member” of her Las Vegas residency. “A huge thank u to the iconic, best selling [Harvey Fierstein] for lending his voice to the character. We wouldn’t have done it without you.”
In the accompanying introduction video, Katy is seen introducing Ratso to her crew and teasing him as “a fun new pet.” Ratso, who is pretty large, is part animatronic and part puppet: his face is animated with technology and a person takes charge of his bodily gestures. When he hits his vape, actual smoke pours out of his nostrils.
While it is unknown what role Ratso takes on in the PLAY storyline, the teaser video shows he has plenty of jokes and pessimistic advice for Katy.
Apparently, Katy has always wanted to use puppets in one of her shows and her Vegas residency was the perfect opportunity.
Katy resumes her residency Friday night, with additional shows running until August 13. She will then take a hiatus from Sin City and return later in October.
Tickets for the October dates are available to purchase on the venue’s official website starting Monday, June 6, at 10 a.m. PT.
(WASHINGTON) — Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro was indicted by a grand jury on contempt of Congress charges Friday for defying subpoenas from the House select committee investigating Jan. 6, the Department of Justice announced.
“Former White House advisor Peter K. Navarro has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the United States Capitol,” the Justice Department said in a release.
The Strokes had to cancel their set at Spain’s Primavera Sound festival this week due to COVID-19, but the band’s music was still heard thanks to Tame Impala.
Kevin Parker and company performed a cover of Strokes classic “Last Nite” during their Primavera Sound set Thursday. You can watch fan-shot footage of the rendition, which inspired an enthusiastic crowd singalong, now via YouTube.
Primavera Sound announced earlier this week that The Strokes would be canceling their Friday headlining set due to an “ongoing positive COVID-19 case” within the band. A positive test also forced The Strokes to pull out of last weekend’s Boston Calling festival.
The Strokes expect to return to the stage next Wednesday, June 8, for a show in Stockholm, Sweden. They’re also scheduled to play the second weekend of Primavera Sound on June 10.
Luke Bryan has earned countless awards, accolades and honors for his work in the country music genre, but there’s one milestone he’s been waiting his whole life to reach — and he just hit it.
That big moment, of course, is catching a fish over 10 pounds. Luke’s an avid fisherman, so much so that he recorded a song called “Bill Dance” — named after the famed professional fisherman — for his Born Here Live Here Die Here album in 2020.
Luke posted video of the special moment with a clip of that song playing in the background when he finally caught the fish of his dreams — an 11.6-pound largemouth bass.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment,” he wrote in the caption of his post. “11.6 baby.”
Luke’s currently taking a well-deserved fishing break after wrapping the latest season of American Idol, where he serves as a judge.
Fans of the beloved sitcom The Golden Girls will soon get to live like Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sofia in their Shady Pines apartment, thanks to a new, full-service pop-up restaurant experience.
The Golden Girls Kitchen is being presented by the experience company Bucketlisters and was the brainchild of Derek Berry, the guy who brought to life interactive experiences based on Breaking Bad, Saved by the Bell and other fan favorites.
The Golden Girls Kitchen officially opens in July, but its website is currently taking reservations. For $50, you can sample items like The Dorothy: A Miami Style Sandwich, Sophia’s Lasagna, Blanche’s Georgia Style Cookies, Rose on Rosé and, as was often eaten in the girls’ kitchen, cheesecake.
