In addition to his multiple #1 hits, another signature symbol for Blake Shelton is the tattoo on his forearm.In fact, the singer himself drew the sketch for the tattoo on his left arm that displays deer tracks in the center of two strings of barbed wire.
As a lifelong hunter growing up in rural Oklahoma, Blake wanted to get a tattoo to reflect his lifestyle. “I’m a country guy from Oklahoma and I thought ‘I’ll get some deer tracks going around my arm, and a band of them,'” he explains to Oprah Winfrey. “It doesn’t mean crap,” he adds with a laugh.
But the deer tracks often get mistaken for a much smaller creature, ladybugs, and the hit singer jokes that he neither he or the tattoo artist were sober when he got the ink.
“He didn’t know how to make a deer track and I didn’t either. I drew him one, what I thought it looked like, and he took that and copied it here,” The Voice coach describes of the process, adding that he got the barbed wire later to “try to distract from the Sugar Smacks or coffee beans that I ended up with,” he quips.
Jason Aldean is reflecting on an important day in his music career.
Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of the release of Jason’s self-titled debut album, and he took to social media to celebrate the milestone.
“17 years ago today I released my first album. I had no clue how much my life would forever change after that,” he expresses. “I can never thank y’all enough for the life you have given to me and my family. I am forever grateful!”
“We are great full for your time and music,” one fan commented, another adding “you’re my fav! Congratulations on your successful career.”
Jason Aldean was released in 2005 and featured his first #1 hit, “Why,” along with top 10 hits “Amarillo Sky” and “Hicktown.” It reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and claimed the #1 slot on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.
The project launched a string of successful albums from the ACM Artist of the Decade, with his most recent double album, Macon, Georgia, spawning a pair of back-to-back #1 singles with “If I Didn’t Love You” featuring Carrie Underwood and “Trouble With a Heartbreak.”
Starz has released the new trailer for season two of Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
In the second season of the ‘90s-set series, we see Raquel “Raq” Thomas becoming even more powerful in the city’s drug trade while her son Kanan struggles over his future with the family business.
The show, from executive producers Courtney Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, stars MeKai Curtis as Kanan and Patina Miller as Raq. The cast also includes Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Joey Bada$$, Shanley Caswell and Antonio Ortiz.
Season two of Power Book III: Raising Kanan premieres August 14. New episodes will be available weekly on Sunday at midnight on the Starz app and will air Sundays on Starz at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
John Mayer unveiled his three-date Rise for the River charity concert series to raise funds for those devastated by Montana’s historic flooding.
The Grammy winner announced Tuesday on Instagram, “Announcing Rise For The River, three great-big-very-small-shows in Livingston, MT to support a county greatly impacted by flooding and the resulting closure of the Yellowstone Park entrance that the local economy relies on.”
The three-part concert series kicks off Monday, August 8 and will run the following two Sundays, ending on August 21 at Pine Creek Lodge in Livingston, Montana.
The three-day event will feature guest acts Bob Weir, John’s Dead & Company bandmate, as well as comedian Dave Chappelle. Weir will helm the concert set for Monday, August 8, while Chappelle takes over the stage on Sunday, August 14.
“I’m blown away by the generosity of my friends @bobweir and @davechappelle and can’t wait to celebrate this awesome community with those who share my love for it,” John continued.
Ticket sales benefit the SW MT Flood Relief Fund, which will assist in cleanup and rebuilding efforts currently underway in the affected areas. Tickets were priced starting at $150, and John’s fans snapped them up — There’s currently a waitlist that you can join on his official website.
In addition, two tickets are up for bid on Charity Auctions Today. Within an hour, the price surged past $6,000 for the pair.
“Don’t be mad if the tickets sell out,” the Vengeance star acknowledged, adding those who want to help Montana can do so by texting “Flood22” to 41444.
John has lived in Park County, Montana for over a decade and has spoken out about the catastrophic flooding, begging people to visit Yellowstone to help jumpstart the local economy
Chris Stapleton will once again join the Farm Aid lineup.
The “Broken Halos” hitmaker has been announced as one of the newest acts to perform at the 2022 festival in Raleigh, N.C. along with Sheryl Crow, Brittney Spencer, Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp and more. Fellow Farm Aid founding member, Neil Young, will not perform due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris previously performed at the annual event in 2018.
Farm Aid will take place at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek on September 24, continuing the organization’s efforts to support farmers and their families and help keep them on their land.
See the full lineup here. Tickets go on sale July 30 at 10 a.m. ET.
(WASHINGTON) — A Senate investigation revealed evidence on Tuesday of widespread corruption and misconduct dating back years at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
At a hearing Tuesday morning, an investigatory panel led by Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff pressed outgoing Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Michael Carvajal on agency records that show staff at the Atlanta federal penitentiary “acted with impunity and even lacked regard for human life,” Ossoff said in his opening statement.
“The evidence the [subcommittee for investigations] has secured to date reveals stunning long-term failures of federal prison administration that likely contributed to loss of life; jeopardized the health and safety of inmates and staff; and undermined public safety and civil rights in the State of Georgia and the Southeast Region of the United States,” Ossoff said.
The prison was rife with contraband, including weapons and synthetic cannabis, and large amounts of confiscated drugs were never logged after they were discovered, according to Ossoff and the subcommittee’s review of internal BOP documents in addition to interviews with whistleblowers, federal judges and former senior agency leaders.
A lack of security checks also allowed inmates to pass contraband between cells and freely use narcotics, Ossoff said.
The findings documented by the panel — an investigatory arm of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — include allegations of poorly maintained and often dangerous conditions for inmates.
Between 2012 to 2020, a total of 12 inmates died by suicide which the committee linked to a lack of compliance by staff to prison procedures and “complacency, indifference, inattentiveness, and lack of compliance with BOP policies and procedures,” according to Ossoff.
Internal reports from 2017 and 2019, now revealed by the committee, found prison guard weapons were improperly stored and at times went missing.
Erika Ramirez, a whistleblower and former chief psychologist of the Atlanta facility, testified on Tuesday to a variety of unsafe and unsanitary conditions as well as a lack of control over contraband.
“The walls were infested with mold,” Ramirez said. “Whenever it rained, the sewer would break — would back up and overflow onto the recreation yard, sometimes leaving a foot of human waste behind. Security-wise, there was little to speak of. Given the volume and flagrancy of the contraband, it was obvious that cell searches were not being properly conducted, if at all.”
Ramirez testified that she documented her findings and reported them to upper management and, in some cases, to the BOP central office in Washington. Ramirez was subsequently, involuntarily transferred to a facility in Texas in what she described as retaliation for speaking out.
Former jail administrator Terri Whitehead also appeared at Tuesday’s hearing and said unsanitary conditions at the prison resulted in security lapses.
“For example, there was so many rats inside the facility, dining hall and food preparation areas that staff intentionally left doors open so the stray cats that hung around the prison could catch the rats,” Whitehead said. “It is never a good idea to leave prison doors open.”
After initially declining to testify, citing the end of his tenure next month, BOP Director Carvajal took questions before the panel to address the reported corruption and mismanagement at the penitentiary.
“I want to stress that what happened in Atlanta is unacceptable,” Carvajal said. “We recognize the gravity of the alleged misconduct at that facility, and in July of 2021, we determined that it was in the best interest of the institution to take significant action.”
BOP has since started replacing the entire management staff at the Atlanta prison, a process which Carvajal said was ongoing.
Asked about a federal judge’s letter detailing rats, roaches and emaciated detainees at the facility, Carvajal told the Senate panel he was not aware of the specific allegations but took responsibility for the agency overall. He repeatedly testified that the BOP is a “large, complex organization,” and he does not personally oversee day-to-day operations despite the unique nature of concerns in Atlanta.
“What does it mean to you to hear, as the director of Bureau of Prisons, a report from your own investigators that staff at this facility lack regard for human life?” Ossoff asked.
“It’s completely unacceptable, senator, that’s precisely why I took the actions that I did when I became aware of it,” Carvajal said.
But it remains unclear when and what Carvajal knew about missing prison guard weapons, life-threatening conditions and security lapses reported by internal BOP auditors. Carvajal testified that he wasn’t aware of internal reports about unqualified staff in armed positions until the middle of last year.
“We have a lot going on in a very large, complex organization,” he insisted. “I assure you that if I was aware, as with anything, I would have corrected or taken action.”
At one point Ossoff held up a copy of one of the internal reports, noting that Carvajal was personally copied on the correspondence. Citing the BOP report, Ossoff said it detailed a case in November 2018 where an inmate died by hanging. Guards did not conduct checks prior to the inmate’s death and inmates had been caught on camera passing contraband under cell doors.
“When I when I tell you I’m not aware, specifically, I can’t remember specifically what I did at that time,” said Carvajal, who was then assistant director for correctional programs. “I do know that I received those reports and we took appropriate action to address those issues.”
Carvajal said that in April he conducted a day-long visit at the Atlanta facility where he met with staff.
The U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta has been under public scrutiny for years. An inmate and his fiancée pleaded guilty in 2017 to running what prosecutors described as an “inmate Uber.” The two admitted to transporting convicts to and from the prison, allowing them access to outside food and contraband.
Last year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that four senior prison officers were banned from the facility amid a corruption investigation and the prison’s population was reduced from more than 1,800 to 134.
Photography by Keith Getter (all rights reserved)/Getty Images
(ST. LOUIS) — One person has died after a record amount of rain poured down on the St. Louis area overnight.
St. Louis has recorded 8.56 inches of rainfall since midnight, which surpassed the old record of 6.85 inches set almost 107 years ago on Aug. 20, 1915. In the suburbs northwest of St. Louis, St. Peters received 12.34 inches of rain.
The historic rainfall event caused widespread flash flooding across the region Tuesday morning with some areas getting more than half a foot of rain in just a few hours.
One person was found dead in a car after the water began to recede, St. Louis emergency officials said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Heavy rain continued for St. Louis and its surrounding areas Tuesday morning as thunderstorms sit over Missouri. The rain let up into the afternoon, but more heavy rain with flooding is expected Wednesday morning.
The St. Louis Fire Department said there’s been a report of a partial roof collapse and possible natural gas leak at the scene of a storage facility at St. Louis Zoo. Further details were not immediately available.
The fire department also said there were several vehicles trapped in high water with rescue squads responding in small boats.
As of 7 a.m. local time, St. Louis Fire Department confirmed they had responded to approximately 18 homes with flooding and trapped occupants. Six occupants and six dogs have so far been rescued by boat and approximately 15 others were contacted but chose to shelter in place.
The Forest Park-DeBaliviere train station was seen completely submerged in photos, with water rising above the platforms. The floodwaters were so high that the roofs on some of the structures collapsed, emergency officials said.
By noon, another six adults and several pets were rescued from three homes by the St. Louis Fire Department, and water had begun to recede about 6 to 8 inches, according to fire officials.
One of the families was trapped in the attic due to the floodwaters, according to the fire department.
In total, more than 70 rescues took place, Dennis Jackson, chief of the St. Louis Fire Department, said during the news conference. While there has been widespread property damages, the number of injuries remained low, said St. Louis Police Chief Mike Sack.
By 2 p.m., the highways were mostly clear and all bridges were open, Heather Taylor, senior adviser for public safety for the city of St. Louis, told reporters Tuesday afternoon. However, some areas still have high water levels, Sack said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who is currently overseas on a trade mission to Germany and the Netherlands, thanked rescue crews and said his lieutenant governor, Mike Kehoe, would act on his behalf.
“I have been briefed on the extreme flooding in the St. Louis area,” Parson said in a statement. “We appreciate the rapid and professional response of local first responders and emergency managers involved in flood rescues and other protective measures. We also thank our Missouri State Highway Patrol and MoDOT crews for working alongside local teams.”
ABC News’ Max Golembo, Melissa Griffin, Will Gretsky and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
Dave Matthews and his frequent collaborator Tim Reynolds are set to perform together at the 2022 Farm Aid festival, held September 24 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The annual event raises money in support of family farms, and this year, it will showcase how farmers are working to alleviate climate change.
Matthews is one of several Farm Aid board members headlining Farm Aid 2022, along with John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Margo Price. The bill also includes Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Sheryl Crow and Chris Stapleton.
Tickets go on sale to the general public this Saturday, July 30 at 10 a.m. ET, while a limited amount of pre-sale tickets will be available starting this Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET.
For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit FarmAid.org.
Slash is bringing his shredding chops to the advertising world.
The Guns N’ Roses rocker is featured in a new Capital One commercial in which the spokesperson declares that working with the bank is the “easiest decision in the history of decisions,” even easier than, say, letting Slash join your band.
Cut to Slash jamming the GN’R classic “Sweet Child o’ Mine” for a stunned young band holding auditions for a guitarist.
The commercial follows a similar Capital One ad that features a kid picking NBA legend Charles Barkley to be on their pickup basketball team.
Meanwhile, you can hear “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” as well as several other GN’R tunes, in the new MCU movie Thor: Love and Thunder.
Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
The Gray Man, the new action film starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Regé-Jean Page just hit Netflix on Friday, but there’s already a spin-off and a sequel in the works.
The streaming service announced Tuesday that Gosling will return as the titular spy, with Joe and Anthony Russo returning to direct the sequel, which like its predecessor, will be written by the pair’s Marvel movie collaborator Stephen McFeely.
Further, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the writers behind Deadpool and Zombieland, will be penning a spin-off film “set to explore a different element of The Gray Man universe.”
Based on the best-selling book series by Mark Greaney,The Gray Man debuted at #1 in 92 countries where Netflix can be accessed.
In a statement, the Russos enthused, “The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film.”
They added, “With so many amazing characters in the movie, we had always intended for The Gray Man to be part of an expanded universe, and we are thrilled that Netflix is announcing a sequel with Ryan, as well as a second script that we’re excited to talk about soon.”
