Bow Wow is returning to BET after an eight-year hiatus, and no, it’s not for a 106 & Park revival. Deadline reports the star, whose birth name is Shad Moss, will host the network’s new unscripted dating series, After Happily Ever After, set to premiere this fall.
The show will see exes set their past lovers up in an effort to “help them move on and find love once again.”
As the host of the series, Bow will arrange singles parties attended by potential prospects and exes who are scouting matches for their former partners. The exes will then invite one of the prospects back to the house for a two-day period in which their past lovers will determine whether or not they’ll “keep the prospect or send them back to the singles pool.”
A few celebrity daters will make appearances, Deadline reports, though names have not been disclosed.
“We look forward to airing this entertaining dating series that will help singles find love. This show promises to be full of surprises, twists, and turns that will leave viewers asking for more,” said Tiffany Lea Williams, executive vice president of BET Unscripted Programming. “We are also thrilled to welcome Bow Wow home to BET and to partner with Bunim/Murray Productions, who has been creating unscripted hits for three decades and always delivers their latest guilty pleasures to viewers. We can’t wait to add After Happily Ever After to our winning portfolio of acclaimed unscripted shows that engage and delight fans across all of our platforms worldwide.”
Bow Wow previously hosted 106 & Park and expressed a desire to revive the music video show, but said BET wasn’t interested.
(WASHINGTON) — Fallout continued Friday from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan as China announced it is canceling dialogue with the United States on military talks and climate change.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Friday that working meetings with the U.S. Department of Defense and China-U.S. Maritime Military Security Consultation Mechanism have been canceled as a result of Pelosi’s visit.
The ministry said it will also no longer be cooperating with the U.S. on climate change talks, drug control, repatriation of illegal immigrants, criminal investigations and combating transnational crimes.
These were seen as the remaining guardrails to a fraught U.S.-China relationship, but Beijing has long said that the only guardrail that matters is the “One China” principle — that the U.S. recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China.
The action raises questions on the potential impact for global climate benchmarks, as China and the U.S. are the world’s top climate polluters. Just last year, the U.S. and China issued a joint pledge to take “enhanced climate actions” to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement of limiting warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.
The White House “summoned” China’s ambassador Qin Gang over China’s provocative actions overnight, spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
“We made clear to the Ambassador that Beijing’s actions are of concern to Taiwan, to us, and to our partners around the world,” Kirby said.
Kirby also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the One China policy, as has Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Pelosi and members of a congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday despite warnings not to from mainland China. Pelosi, the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in decades, said the trip — which also includes stops in Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia — is about “advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
In response, China has also ramped up military drills and imposed new trade restrictions on Taiwan.
Kirby confirmed on Thursday that China launched an estimated 11 ballistic missiles towards Taiwan, impacting areas to the northeast, the east and southeast of the island.
“We condemn these actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and in the region,” Kirby said, calling China’s response an overreaction to Pelosi’s visit.
The U.S. expects these actions to continue over the coming days, Kirby said, noting the U.S. is “prepared” for what Beijing decides to do.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense released new numbers on Friday stating China’s deployed 68 fighter jets, 13 warships to the areas and waters around Taiwan. Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-Wen said the nation remains on high alert.
Kirby said Thursday The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group would remain in the “general area to monitor the situation” and would actually “conduct standard air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks.”
Blinken on Friday called China’s response a “serious overreaction.”
“The fact is, the speaker’s visit was peaceful,” the secretary of state said in between meetings at the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference in Cambodia. “There is no justification to this extreme, disproportionate and escalatory military response.”
Pelosi herself commented on China’s reaction to the trip during a press conference Friday alongside the rest of the congressional delegation, stating Beijing was “probably using our visit as an excuse” for their missile strikes.
“Our friendship with Taiwan is a strong one,” she said. “It is bipartisan in the House and the Senate, overwhelming support for peace and the status quo in Taiwan.”
Republicans in Congress this week have applauded Pelosi’s trip, with more than half the GOP caucus in the Senate signing onto a statement backing her decision to go to Taiwan.
Pelosi has also been sanctioned by China, which means that neither she nor her family will be able to visit Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Lauren Minore and Joe Simonette contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Following its emergency authorization last month, just 7,300 doses of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Americans across the country, newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals.
According to John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor, the sluggish start may be, in part, due to the fact that the vaccines were not immediately made available after authorization, and thus, there could be some reporting delays
The total Novavax doses represent just a fraction of the shots put into arms each day, though the overall number of vaccines administered has plummeted in recent months.
In addition, the vaccine has not been widely available, with just 385 sites initially offering the Novavax vaccine out of the more than 53,000 locations with COVID-19 vaccines, Brownstein said. However, in recent days, that number has jumped to 986 sites, which Brownstein suggested may help boost uptake.
“A mix of lower access, limited promotion and a slowing of the vaccination campaign means that Novavax has not been of high priority for remaining unvaccinated Americans,” Brownstein said. “As supply increases, we could see increased access but it’s unlikely to make a real dent.”
In July, the Biden administration secured 3.2 million doses of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, in hopes that some unvaccinated Americans would get the shot.
A number of health experts had expressed their hope that some of the individuals, who are still hesitant to be vaccinated, would be more inclined to get the Novavax vaccine, because it is based on a more traditional protein-based technology, one already used for the flu vaccine and other shots, while Pfizer and Moderna vaccine platforms tapped a new genetic technology — with messenger RNA — to produce their vaccines.
“A more traditional delivery route has to be seen as incentive to convince those that have yet to roll up their sleeves,” Brownstein explained.
However, early indicators suggest that the authorization has yet to substantially move the needle with the most hesitant Americans.
Even so, health experts previously told ABC News that no matter how widespread the use of Novavax’s vaccine is, it will still save lives.
Nationally, there are still more than 26 million American adults who remain completely unvaccinated.
There has not been a significant bump in the number of people receiving a first COVID-19 dose since November 2021. Since then, the average number has steadily fallen to around 50,000 first shots, administered across all eligible age groups, each day.
Carrie Underwood’s 7-year-old son, Isaiah, is already exploring a budding career as a gardener.
The country superstar tells ET Online that she and her husband, Mike Fisher, pay Isaiah to do chores around the house, and he’s been making an impressive amount of cash working in her garden.
“My son’s been doing chores around our farm trying to earn money, so we will pay him for his work,” Carrie says. “He’ll go pull weeds in my garden and stuff like that, and he has quite the hefty savings.”
There’s plenty of work to be done: This summer, Carrie has been treating fans to glimpses into her expansive garden plot, where she’s growing tomatoes, snap peas, beets, squash, zucchini, mushrooms and more.
The singer’s soaking up every minute of summer at home with her family and her garden. In October, she’ll head out on the road once again for her Denim & Rhinestones Tour, which features Jimmie Allen as an opening act.
A slew of country A-Listers are joining forces to celebrate country music sensation Vince Gill.
CMT has announced an upcoming special to honor the hitmaker’s career, “CMT GIANTS: Vince Gill,” airing Sept. 16 at 9 p.m. ET.
Some of the artists who will appear include Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson and Ricky Skaggs, who will perform Gill’s hits during the 90-minute special.
Gill, a 22-time Grammy winner, has made — and continues to make — an immeasurable impact in the music industry in both his solo career and his time in bands Pure Prairie League, The Cherry Bombs, The Time Jumpers and the Eagles.
During the upcoming CMT special, other top artists, including Keith Urban, Reba McEntire and Sting, will share their thoughts on his impact and some of their favorite memories of working with him.
Along with special photos and videos from notable performances throughout Gill’s career, the program will also include a new interview with Gill about “his career, his classic songwriting, musical influences and his future plans,” the network said.
Other artists who have been celebrated in the “CMT GIANTS” franchise include Reba, Hank Williams Jr., Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers and Charley Pride.
Silversun Pickups have premiered a new song called “Alone on a Hill,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Physical Thrills.
The track, which is available now via digital outlets and streaming alongside a video now on YouTube, features bassist Nikki Moninger on lead vocals.
“This song exposes a side I didn’t know I had in me,” Moninger says. “It felt freeing, especially with everything going on in the past couple of years.”
“I’m grateful everyone gave me so much support during the recording process as I am a bit timid when it comes to hearing the sound of my own voice,” she adds. “[Frontman] Bri[anAubert] just kept telling me to channel my inner Kate Bush.”
Physical Thrills, the sixth SSPU album, is due out August 19. It also includes the previously released single “Scared Together.”
Silversun Pickups will hit the road in support of Physical Thrills on a U.S. tour starting September 28 in San Diego.
Jennette McCurdy, former star of iCarly and its short-lived spin-off, Sam & Cat, has stepped away from the cameras. Thanks to a new excerpt of her book I’m Glad My Mom Died that was published in Vanity Fair, it’s clear to see why.
McCurdy gets frank about the pressures she was under as a young star, which led to an eating disorder and alcohol abuse before she was legally old enough to drink.
The star, now a podcast host, also details the way she was treated by her boss on iCarly, a man she only refers to as “The Creator.”
She claims he tried plying her with alcohol at 18, gave her unwanted massages and pitted other young stars against each other in a way to curry favor with them.
What’s more, she alleges she was offered $300,000 in “hush money” when her show ended and she left Nickelodeon — all to keep quiet, McCurdy says, about working with “The Creator,” who eventually was reprimanded about his on-set behavior.
Actor-turned-producer Dan Schneider created both shows, though McCurdy doesn’t specify who “The Creator” is.
After a string of hits, Schneider parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018 — amicably, at least in public — amid accusations he was abusive on sets. In 2021, he denied any accusations to The New York Times.
As for what she describes as “hush money,” McCurdy quotes a former manager as saying, “‘They’re giving you three hundred thousand dollars and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon.’ Specifically related to The Creator,” she writes.
(KALAMAZOO, Mich.) — Federal prosecutors have charged a 25-year-old man for allegedly setting a Michigan Planned Parenthood clinic on fire.
Joshua Brereton allegedly set fire to the Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo on July 31 around 4 p.m., when the clinic was closed and no patients were inside, according to authorities.
Officials said the suspect breached the fence outside the clinic then used a fuel to ignite bushes surrounding the building before lighting a fireplace starter log that he threw onto the building’s roof.
Investigators found evidence that Brereton purchased torch fuel and a Duraflame starter log from a nearby Walmart, as well as a baseball cap that he apparently wore during the arson attack.
According to investigators, Brereton posted to his personal YouTube channel before the incident, where he spoke about abortion policy in a video and called abortion “genocide.”
In the same video, officials said Brereton told viewers to “step out of your comfort zone” and lend a hand in the fight.
If convicted, Brereton faces up to 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. It is currently unclear if Brereton has an attorney.
After the fire last week, Planned Parenthood of Michigan said its alarm systems appeared to have worked properly and it thanked firefighters for their quick response.
“As always, our top priority is the health and safety of our patients and staff, and we are grateful that no one was hurt,” Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a statement to ABC News. “We remain committed to serving our patients — no matter what.”
According to officials, the fire was extinguished in less than ten minutes and only resulted in minimal damage to the exterior of the clinic. The clinic was able to open at 1 p.m. the next day, according to the clinic’s website.
“Yesterday I saw the destruction at Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo with my own eyes. This is a heinous and reprehensible act and I am hopeful that law enforcement will bring the person responsible to justice,” Michigan state Sen. Sean McCann tweeted Aug. 1.
The fire was set just one day before a Michigan judge ruled to temporarily block the state’s 1931 abortion ban. The block came just hours after a different judge ruled to allow the state to prosecute based on the law.
“This lack of legal clarity — that took place within the span of a workday — is yet another textbook example of why the Michigan Supreme Court must take up my lawsuit against the 1931 extreme abortion ban as soon as possible,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that day.
On Friday, Dolly Parton announced a new roller coaster called Big Bear Mountain, which is coming to her Dollywood theme park next spring. At 3,990 feet, it’ll be the longest coaster in the park.
Big Bear Mountain is based on the legend of a massive black bear who roams the Smokies, leaving signs and clues as to his whereabouts, though no explorer has ever seen him. That just might change with the construction of the new coaster, which invites Dollywood guests on a rollicking ride through the wilderness.
Featuring immersive on-board audio, a first for the park, a top speed of 48 mph and a pass behind a waterfall, Big Bear Mountain will be filled with thrills, twists, turns, steep drops and near encounters with the black bear.
“The Smokies are all about adventure and going exploring,” Dolly says. “I’m excited our guests will be able to head out on their own trip into the Smokies to see if they can find that Big Bear! Whether he’s out there or not, I’m sure they’ll find a lot of memories along the way that they’ll keep forever.”
Big Bear Mountain has an anticipated opening date of spring 2023. Guests can preregister for their 2023 Dollywood passes from August 5 to September 30.
Those who register early will have access to an exclusive Big Bear Mountain ride event when it opens, as well as the guaranteed lowest price on passes.
The Used guests on a new song from blackbear called “Toxic Energy.”
Frontman Bert McCracken lends his vocals to the pop-punk rocker, which is described as a “love letter to that toxic person that you have reached your limit on.”
“It’s when you’re done babysitting and giving your heart away and you need to take time for yourself,” blackbear explains. “This person lifts you up like cocaine but drops you in the dark like a lightning storm, the only way out is inward, enjoy.”
You can listen to “Toxic Energy” now via digital outlets. The track is also set to appear on blackbear’s upcoming album, In Loving Memory, along with the previously released Machine Gun Kelly collaboration, “gfy.”
In Loving Memory is due out August 26.
The Used, meanwhile, is currently on tour with Rise Against.
