This! is not a drill: Panic! at the Disco is officially back.
The Brendon Urie-led outfit has announced a new album called Viva Las Vengeance. The follow-up to 2018’s Pray for the Wicked arrives August 19.
“Viva Las Vengeance is a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn’t have before,” Urie says. “I didn’t realize I was making an album and there was something about the tape machine that kept me honest.”
You can listen to the Viva Las Vengeance title track now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
Along with the album news, Panic! has announced a U.S. headlining tour, running from September 8 in Austin, Texas, to October 25 in San Francisco.
Tickets go on sale next Friday, June 10, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit PanicattheDisco.com.
Here’s the Viva Las Vengeance track list:
“Viva Las Vengeance”
“Middle of a Breakup”
“Don’t Let The Light Go Out”
“Local God”
“Star Spangled Banger”
“God Killed Rock and Roll”
“Say It Louder”
“Sugar Soaker”
“Something About Maggie”
“Sad Clown”
“All By Yourself”
“Do It to Death”
The star announced on Wednesday that she’ll release her sophomore album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, on October 14. You can pre-save and pre-order the album now. Along with the announcement, Ava also performed her new single, “Maybe You’re the Problem,” on NBC’s Today.
Diamonds & Dancefloors is the follow up to Ava’s debut album, Heaven & Hell, which came out in September of 2020 and was recently RIAA-certified Platinum. It features the hits “Sweet but Psycho,” “Kings & Queens” and “My Head & My Heart.”
On Tuesday, the final day of AANHPI month, BTS visited the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and Asian inclusion. While the 35-minute meeting was closed to the press, the president has tweeted portions of the chat.
In a minute-long video, we see the president welcoming the group to the White House, as group member RM says, “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.” We then see the guys sitting down in the Oval Office with Biden.
“This is an important month here in America. A lot of our Asian-American friends have been subject to real discrimination,” Biden tells them. “Hate only hides. When good people talk about it and say how bad it is, it goes down. So thank you.”
RM says, “We want to say thank you sincerely for your decision…such as signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law.” He continues, “So we just want to be a little help, and we truly appreciate the White House and the government’s trying to find solutions.”
“People care a lot about what you say, and what you’re doing is good for all people,” Biden responds. “It’s not just your great talent. It’s the message you’re communicating. It matters.”
Biden presented the group with commemorative coins as gifts after the meeting.
“It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit. Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination,” the president later tweeted. “I look forward to sharing more of our conversation soon.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor has responded to trolls’ racist messages that were reportedly sent to his co-star Moses Ingram, who plays Jedi hunter Reva.
McGregor began his online message with a spot of good news, saying, “This weekend, Star Wars fans made Obi-Wan Kenobi the most-watched Disney+ premiere of all time. And for that, I would say a big thank you, and it just goes to show what this family can do when we all pull together.”
“However, it seems that some of the fan base…have decided to attack Moses Ingram online, and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs,” McGregor continued. “I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart.”
The actor added, “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman, and she’s absolutely amazing in this series. She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise, and it just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this had been happening.”
McGregor concluded, “I just wanted to say as the leading actor to the series and executive producer that we stand with Moses, we love Moses. If you’re sending her bullying messages, you are no Star Wars fan in my mind.”
For her part, Ingram had said, “I think the thing that bothers me … is…that feeling inside of myself … that I just have to…just grin and bear it.” She added defiantly, “But I’m not built like that.”
Moses also thanked fans who have shouted her out for her portrayal of Reva, declaring that it “means the world to me.”
Lionsgate has tapped West Side Story actor Rachel Zegler to star in The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The prequel movie will reportedly focus on Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. As previously announced, Billy the Kid and The Gilded Age actor Tom Blyth will play the young Snow. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is due in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023…
Charles Siebert, the actor best known for playing the snooty Dr. Stanley Riverside II on all seven seasons of CBS’ MASH spinoff Trapper John, M.D., died May 1 of COVID-19-related pneumonia at University of California San Francisco Medical Center, his daughter, Gillian Bozanic, tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was 84. Siebert’s other TV roles included three guest-starring stints on All in the Family, and he appeared on other shows including Kojak, Police Woman, The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Maude, FBI and Murder, She Wrote. He also appeared in such films as The Other Side of Midnight, And Justice for All and Eight Men Out…
Kaley Cuoco, who stars and executive-produces the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant, warns fans not to get their hopes up for a third season. Following Thursday’s season two finale, Cuoco tells People that while there’s been interest in a third season, “I think for me, at this moment, the plane has landed.” However, the 36-year-old Big Bang Theory alum admits she “could possibly get back in it,” but “needs a minute.” “I think the writers and the team did a really beautiful job in tying it up in a pretty bow…But if you had to open the bow, it would be okay,” she adds…
(NEW YORK) — The crackdown on Russian oil is helping push gas prices in the U.S. to record highs.
For the first time ever, seven states — Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — have gas prices averaging over $5 a gallon.
Nationally, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas now stands at $4.67.
As much of the world tries to put pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, experts believe gas prices will continue to soar.
The U.S. has already banned Russian oil imports and now, the European Union is saying that it will also embargo the vast majority of oil imports from Russia.
Billie Eilish‘s ex, Matthew Tyler Vorce, is setting the record straight about their break up.
After rumors circulated that Matthew cheated on Billie, he took to Instagram Stories to shut down the accusations.
“The fact that thousands of people take time out of their day to write the most heinous things on someone they will never knows posts is the most cowardly thing you can possibly do,” the actor wrote over the weekend, according to E! News.
“Nobody cheated on anyone,” he continued. “Relationships end. Simple as that. Creating rumors and LYING on the internet is dangerous.”
Matthew, 30, and Billie, 20, first ignited romance rumors in April 2021 when they were photographed showing PDA while getting coffee in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Rick Mave/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(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:
May 31, 8:22 pm
US sending Ukraine ‘more advanced’ rocket systems, Biden says in op-ed
The U.S. will provide Ukraine with “more advanced rocket systems and munitions,” President Joe Biden confirmed in a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday.
The systems “will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned last week that providing more advanced rockets would be a new “unacceptable escalation” because they could hypothetically be used to strike within Russian territory.
But Biden told reporters Monday that the U.S. will not “send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia,” and he and the administration are making efforts to emphasize that these new rocket systems will be used by the Ukrainians on the battlefield in their own country.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
May 31, 8:21 pm
5.2 million kids need humanitarian help
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left 5.2 million kids in need of humanitarian help, according to UNICEF.
At least 262 children have been killed and another 415 have been hurt since Feb. 24, UNICEF said.
Nearly two-thirds have been displaced, UNICEF said.
May 31, 2:09 pm
Chemical plant hit by Russian air strike, local official says
Russian air strikes hit a tank with nitric acid at a chemical plant in Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, according to Luhansk’s regional governor, Serhiy Haidai.
Haidai is urging residents to stay inside and to wear protective face masks.
Haidai also said Russian forces have made significant gains and are in control of “most” of Severodonetsk.
He said about 60% of homes are completely destroyed and the city’s critical infrastructure is nearly completely destroyed. Ongoing shelling is preventing civilians from evacuating.
May 31, 11:43 am
EU to finalize ban of nearly 90% of Russian oil imports
The European Union Council plans to finalize a ban on nearly 90% of Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said Tuesday at a joint press conference with EU Council President Charles Michel, following Monday’s special meeting of the European Council.
Von der Leyen said they will soon return to the issue of the remaining 10% of pipeline oil.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
May 31, 8:23 am
Russia vows to ‘ensure unhindered passage’ of grain shipments if Ukraine de-mines waters
Russia’s top diplomat vowed Tuesday to “ensure unhindered passage” of grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to the Mediterranean Sea, if Ukraine removes the mines from its coastal waters.
“Ukrainian representatives should de-mine the coastal waters within Ukraine’s territorial sea, which have been mined,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference. “If the de-mining problem is resolved — and we’ve been bringing the attention of our worried Western counterparts to this problem for many weeks — then the Russian Navy will ensure unhindered passage of those vessels in high seas to the Mediterranean and further on to their destination points.”
Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain, fuel and fertilizer has skyrocketed worldwide, worsening hunger crises. Russia and Ukraine produce a third of the world’s supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow’s offensive.
Lavrov, however, blamed the situation on Kyiv and the West.
“For longer than a month now, the Russian side has been taking measures to guarantee the unhindered export of Ukrainian grain by vessels that are currently stranded in Ukrainian ports,” Lavrov added. “Therefore, the initiatives concerning food security that have been voiced should be implemented bearing in mind that the Russian side has long guaranteed everything that depends on us. As for the Western countries that have artificially caused numerous problems by closing their ports to Russian vessels and cutting logistical and financial chains, they should certainly think hard whether it’s more important for them to advertise themselves taking advantage of food security problems, or take practical steps to resolve this problem. It’s for them to choose.”
May 31, 5:42 am
Up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in fight for Severodonetsk
As Russian forces battle for control of a key eastern Ukrainian city, up to 12,000 civilians may be trapped in the crossfire, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“I am horrified to see Severodonetsk, the thriving city where we had our operational headquarters, become the epicentre of yet another chapter of the brutal war in Ukraine,” NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland said in a statement Tuesday. “We fear that up to 12,000 civilians remain caught in crossfire in the city, without sufficient access to water, food, medicine or electricity. The near-constant bombardment is forcing civilians to seek refuge in bomb shelters and basements, with only few precious opportunities for those trying to escape.”
Over the past week, the Oslo-based humanitarian organization has been working with local Ukrainian partners to provide thousands of monthly food and hygiene parcels to civilians remaining in Severodonetsk and the greater Luhansk Oblast, according to Egeland. The city is the last still held by Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast.
“But now the intensified fighting makes aid delivery impossible,” he added. “We cannot save lives under the hail of grenades.”
NRC has been operational in Ukraine since 2014, serving people affected by conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of eastern Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region.
“Almost one hundred days since the war in Ukraine escalated, we have seen bombs destroy critical infrastructure across the country and reduce entire cities like Severodonetsk to rubble,” Egeland said. “More than 14 million men, women and children are displaced within Ukraine or sheltering in other countries with no idea when they will be able to safely return to their homes.”
May 31, 4:50 am
Russians, Ukrainians fight street by street in key eastern city
Russian and Ukrainian forces are believed to be fighting street by street on the outskirts of Severodonetsk, a key city in Ukraine’s east, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.
“Russia’s capture of Lyman supports its operational main effort, which likely remains the encirclement of Sieverodonetsk and the closure of the pocket around Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast,” the ministry said. “Heavy shelling continues, while street fighting is likely taking place on the outskirts of Sieverodonetsk town.”
After several days of fighting, the Russian military claimed Saturday to have fully seized the strategic town of Lyman, which serves as a railway hub in the Donetsk Oblast, west of Severodonetsk.
“Russia’s political goal is likely to occupy the full territory of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” the ministry added. “To achieve this, Russia will need to secure further challenging operational objectives beyond Sieverodonetsk, including the key city of Kramatorsk and the M04 Dnipro-Donetsk main road.”
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans traveled for Memorial Day weekend at levels not seen since before the onset of the pandemic.
It marked a return to normalcy for many and a chance to gather with family and friends.
But in reality, the situation was far from normal — with confirmed COVID-19 cases nearly six times higher than last Memorial Day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And case totals are likely even higher than are being reported this year with the widespread availability of at-home testing.
This week also marks the eighth consecutive week of increasing COVID-19 cases in the U.S., the data shows.
On average, the U.S. is reporting nearly 110,000 new cases every day, and for the seventh consecutive week, COVID-19 cases among children have also increased. Last week, 112,000 additional pediatric COVID-19 cases were reported, a doubling of case counts from the four weeks prior, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). Last year, at this time, the U.S. was reporting around 10,000 pediatric cases a week.
The U.S. also continues to see an increase in the overall number of patients requiring care for COVID-19. On average, more than 3,500 virus-positive Americans are being admitted to the hospital each day.
However, the hospitalization level is nowhere near its peak, and while virus-related deaths are ticking up, they are not near peak levels either.
Last week, updated CDC data also revealed that more than half of the U.S. population is now living in a county that has a high or medium community risk level for COVID-19.
A total of 55.7% of Americans are currently living in a high or medium community risk county. Nearly a quarter of those people — 23.1% — are living in a high-risk community, while just under a third — 32.6% — are living in a medium risk county.
The high community level suggests there is a “high potential for healthcare system strain” and a “high level of severe disease” and thus, the CDC recommends that people wear a mask in public indoor settings, including schools, while under the medium risk level, if an individual is considered at “increased risk,” they are recommended to speak with their healthcare provider about whether or not they should wear a mask.
There are signs that some areas of the country may be seeing a slow of infections. In New England, new case rates have declined by 18% in the last week, according to CDC.
However, many areas of the region — including counties in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, as well as the northern part of Pennsylvania — are still considered high risk.
Amid the rise in infections, a growing list of school districts and universities are now moving to bring back mask requirements.
Last week, students in Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island, were made to put their masks back on, ahead of the end of the school year amidst increasing infection rates in the community.
In Delaware, where every county is currently considered “high” risk for COVID-19, according to the CDC’s definition, the University of Delaware reinstated its masking requirement for all indoor spaces, and across the country, in California, officials at the University of California Los Angeles and University of Hawaiʻi both recently brought back their face covering requirements.
(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 01, 5:44 am
Russia now occupies over half of key city in Ukraine’s east
Over half of Sieverodonetsk is now likely occupied by Russian forces, including Chechen fighters, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Wednesday in an intelligence update.
The ministry said fighting intensified in the streets of the key eastern Ukrainian city on Monday and Tuesday, “with Russian forces pushing closer to the town centre.” Sieverodonetsk is located in the war-torn Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region.
“Russian ground operations remain tightly focused, with the weight of fire power concentrated within a small sector of Luhansk Oblast,” the ministry said.
“Beyond the Donbas, Russia continues to conduct long-range missile strikes against infrastructure across Ukraine,” the ministry added. “The strategically important bridge links Ukraine with Romania and with Ukraine’s ports on the Danube, which have become critical to Ukrainian exports after the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports by Russia.”
