Van Morrison and prolific hit songwriter Diane Warren are among the music artists and composers who will discuss their Oscar nominations for this year’s Best Original Song honor during a virtual event hosted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
You can tune in to watch beginning March 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The event is free to watch, though you do need to register ahead of time.
Morrison is nominated for his song “Down to Joy,” heard in the film Belfast, while Warren is being recognized for the tune “Somehow You Do,” from the movie Four Good Days.
The conversation will also include Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dixson, who are nominated for their respective songs for the James Bond film No Time to Die, Encanto and King Richard. Disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers, who is the current chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, will moderate the discussion alongside Oscar-winning composer Paul Williams.
Incidentally, Morrison and Warren are both Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees, as are Rodgers and Williams.
(WASHINGTON) — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has spent more than $2 million on its investigation, including $1.64 million between October and December — an indication that the panel’s work is speeding up.
The $1.64 million is roughly four times the $418,000 the panel spent from July to September of 2021, according to spending disclosures. The increased spending is a sign of how much the committee is expanding its work ahead of public hearings and an interim report that’s expected this spring and summer.
Much of the big jump in the committee’s spending comes from an increase in payroll, with the panel reporting $1.2 million in personnel compensation in the final three months of last year compared to just $327,000 from July through September.
The committee hired 12 additional staff members last quarter, bringing the total headcount to 41, up from 29 in September of 2021. The new staffers include investigators and attorneys with experience studying organized crime, terrorism, cryptocurrency, and financial crimes, as well as several former federal prosecutors.
Committee staffers are divided into color-coded teams, with each group focused on a different aspect of the sprawling investigation — from financing and extremist groups to former President Donald Trump’s communication with GOP lawmakers before and on Jan. 6.
The committee also spent more than $300,000 on “other services” in the final three months of last year, as well as a sizable amount on equipment, supplies, rent and utilities.
According to filings, the Jan. 6 committee overall spent just a little more in the fourth quarter than the House Intelligence Committee, which reported spending $1.61 million. But that amount was far less than many other committees, including the House Oversight & Reform Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Homeland Security Committee, which in the fourth quarter spent $3.6 million, $2.2 million and $2 million, respectively.
To date, the Jan. 6 panel has conducted nearly 600 interviews, issued more than 75 subpoenas, and obtained tens of thousands of official Trump White House and administration records from the National Archives.
They have also sought records from members of the former president’s inner circle, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s son Eric Trump, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, a campaign fundraiser who is engaged to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
(WASHINGTON) — As the U.S. and other Western nations considered how to address Russian aggression, the Pentagon and White House said Monday the U.S. saw no need to change the its nuclear alert level despite Russian President Vladimir Putin making a a veiled threat Sunday that he was doing so.
“We are assessing Putin’s directive and at this time we see no reason to change our own alert level,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
“The United States nor NATO has any desire for conflict with Russia, and we think provocative rhetoric like this regarding nuclear weapons is dangerous, adds to the risk of miscalculation, should be avoided, and we’ll not indulge in it,” she said.
Asked by a reporter after a Black History Month event whether Americans should be worried about nuclear was, President Joe Biden quickly responded, “No.”
Psaki also said that the $350 million in aid that Biden approved to be delivered to Ukraine will arrive “within the next couple of days” although that has been complicated by disputed airspace over and near Ukraine. At the same time, she effectively ruled out NATO enforcing a no-fly zone in the area.
Earlier Monday, Biden held a call with allies and partners to coordinate the ongoing response to as Ukraine and Russia held talks on a possible cease-fire in the invasion.
The call included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
That call comes as Russian and Ukrainian leaders met for talks for six hours at the Belarusian border on Monday morning.
A Ukrainian spokesman said in a statement afterward that there may be another round of negotiations.
“The Ukrainian and Russian delegations held the first round of talks today, the main purpose of which was to discuss the issues of a cease-fire on the territory of Ukraine and hostilities,” Mikhail Podolyak said.
At the State Department, the U.S. response was skeptical.
“Diplomacy at the barrel of a gun, diplomacy at the turret of a tank – that is not real diplomacy,” spokesperson Ned Price said. Though he said that the U.S., Ukraine, and European allies still believe dialogue is the way forward, he clarified that “diplomacy is highly unlikely to bear fruit – to prove effective – in the midst of not only confrontation, but escalation.” Later, he said, “In order for it to bear fruit, it needed to take place in the context of de-escalation.”
The White House on Monday also laid out more specifics about sanctions announced over the weekend in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions on Russia’s Central Bank prevent the Russian government from access more than $600 billion in reserves in the U.S., or in U.S. dollars in foreign countries. Officials said that from it was evident that Putin planned to use the central bank’s assets to offset the effects of sanctions from Western countries.
A senior White House official said they “represent the most significant actions the U.S. Treasury has taken against an economy of this size, and assets of this size.”
“Today’s announcement that prohibit transactions with the Central Bank of Russia in the national wealth fund will significantly hinder their ability to do that, and inhibit their access to hundreds of billions of dollars in assets from our actions alone, they will not be able to access assets that are either in United States or in US dollars,” officials said.
Beyond sanctions, the U.S., among other nations, is providing material support to Ukraine as it tries to beat back Russian forces. A senior defense official said Monday that the U.S. is continuing “to provide security assistance to Ukraine, and that includes in just the last day or so.”
“We don’t have any indications that that there’s been a blockage or impediment to continued assistance coming from the west to the Ukrainian armed forces,” the senior defense official said. “And as I said, that support continues to flow not just from the United States, but from other nations as well.”
However, the defense official was hesitant to give specifics about the details of U.S. support to Ukrainian forces given so that the support is not “disrupted.”
“I will remain reticent to talk about the methods in which and the ways in which we’re going to look for ways to continue to provide our support precisely because we want to make sure it gets into the hands of Ukrainian armed forces and Ukrainian fighters and we don’t want that to be disrupted,” a senior defense official said.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to talk about the potential of that aid being disrupted during a press briefing Monday.
“We’re going to continue to provide security assistance to Ukrainian armed forces, and we’re still going to look for ways to do that, in the most effective, efficient way possible,” Kirby said.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky, Justin Gomez, Matt Seyler, Conor Finnegan, Benjamin Gittleson, Joseph Simoetti and Libby Cathey contributed to this report.
Jamie Foxx and Kanye West hit number one with consecutive collabos in 2003 and 2005, and now the Spider-Man: No Way Home star is hinting he and the superstar rapper are ready for round three.
The second episode of Kanye’s Netflix documentary series, Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, which debuted over the weekend, featured footage of the duo recording “Slow Jamz” at Foxx’s home studio in 2003. Following the episode, Ye and Jamie teased that they were working on another song together on XXL Magazine‘s Instagram Live.
“I told you, back at that time, man, that [Kanye] was young and hungry,” the actor/singer/comedian said. “Now look at us. There’s a reason we ran into each other. Can’t wait for y’all to see the next step.”
In the documentary, we see Yeezy playing Foxx a snippet of the then-in-process song that appeared on Twista‘s 2003 Kamikaze album, and Kanye’s 2004 solo debut, The College Dropout.
“Slow Jamz” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004. Two years later, Kanye and Jamie also reached number one with their follow-up, “Gold Digger,” from Kanye’s second album, Late Registration. The song was certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA and won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Ariana Grande and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo are becoming great friends. Cynthia, who plays Elphaba in the forthcoming movie version of the Broadway musical, told E! News, “Ariana and I have been meeting and chatting and talking and building our own relationship. Because we know that it’s a sisterhood. We both want to be ready and prepared to be there for one another.” Cynthia added that she and Ari, who’ll play Glinda, are excited for production to start.
Katy Perry left the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live in style — dressed as a giant poo. Peoplereports the “Roar” hitmaker wore a giant poop costume as she exited the late-night show last week. The interesting attire is similar to a prop from her Play residency in Las Vegas, which appears from a giant toilet as she sings “California Girls.”
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s Encanto, is still the number-one song in America, now notching a fifth week atop the BillboardHot 100. The viral song was streamed 29.9 million times last week and sold an additional 6,600 copies. Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” remains in second place, while GAYLE climbs to third with her hit “abcdefu.” Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
Meghan Trainor and her son Riley are in the same mommy-baby music group as fellow new moms Mandy Moore and Ashley Tisdale. Mandy told The Kelly Clarkson Showthe class, which Hilary Duff started during the pandemic, was “essential” because it created a supportive “community” allowing their kids to “grow up together.”
Britney Spears celebrated fiancé Sam Asghari’s birthday by flashing her gigantic engagement ring. The two announced their engagement in September. “My hero … my mentor … my rock … my bliss … my love,” Britney called Sam in a sweet Instagram post.
All aboard: The new season of Bravo’s Below Deck has set sail! Below Deck: Sailing Yacht is back for its third season, which promises more drama, drinking — and “unfortunate circumstances.”
Chief Stewardess Daily Kelliher told ABC Audio about a “serious” incident that rattled the crew of her luxury sailing yacht. “We don’t crash. We run aground. But it’s pretty serious. They were just unfortunate circumstances,” she explained, adding, “No one was injured.”
There’s something else that happens that Kelliher isn’t a super big fan of — she hates it when the yacht leans sideways, even though it happens no matter how much sailing experience one has. “No five-star hotels should be tilted on its side. Like it’s always going to be a disaster,” she remarked, adding it’s a bad look for her crew.
And while there’s plenty of drama this season for fans to snack on, there’s also plenty of drinking and hooking up. Kelliher admits it’s not all for show because her crew would be doing the same things if the cameras weren’t there.
“Maybe not as intense,” she explained. “Below Deck is a special formula. There’s a lot of turnarounds, and very intense guests… You’re caught up in a in a special environment, something that not everyone can understand. You’re in our own little bubble.”
Despite Below Deck‘s growing popularity, Kelliher still doesn’t consider herself a celebrity. While she is “proud of the show and being part of it,” she admits, “I don’t like to publicly tell people I’m on Below Deck.”
“I’m a yachtie. That’s my job. This just happens to be kind of my sideline maybe. We’ll say my side hustle,” she said.
Below Deck: Sailing Yacht airs at 8 p.m. ET Monday night on Bravo.
Once again, Maksim Chmerkovskiy has taken to Instagram to update his friends and followers about the “crazy” situation unfolding in his native Ukraine.
The Dancing with the Stars pro explains in a five-minute video that some “crazy” stories are unfolding throughout the country, including about a female friend of his who made it from Kviv to Lviv on her way to the Polish border. What should be a short trip into Poland had taken her 17 hours and counting, “crawling” in a bus along the traffic-packed escape route, Maks said.
Maks explained his friend also noted that there also were “beautiful stories” of volunteers “constantly feeding, and giving hot drinks” to refugees along the way.
“[There’s] a lot of fighting everywhere. Streets are crazy. At one point I got arrested,” Chmerkovskiy said, before seeming to imply it was a misunderstanding.
“[A]ll good, promise,” he said regarding the arrest, calling the situation “probably the least traumatizing moment in this whole thing as far as Ukraine is concerned,” but, he allowed, “for me, it was a reality check.”
Maks noted that he’s “trying to stay focused” on making his way toward the border and get out of the country, explaining, “I have a lot to unpack emotionally,” then admitting he’s “not in a mental state right now to do so.”
As he’s said in prior messages, his dual passport makes it easier for him to leave Ukraine, and he was going to head to the border as well.
“I’m nervous, but I know it’s gonna be OK,” Maks promised.
On Friday, actor, producer and TV host Nick Cannon cut the ribbon of a new San Diego eatery, Wild’n Out Sports Bar.
The massive-sized sports bar, which is inspired by the long-running MTV/VH1 show Wild’n Out, features an indoor/outdoor experience with food, drinks and an arcade.
Cannon posted an almost two-minute video on his Instagram page that features footage of him cutting the red ribbon outside of the restaurant and giving viewers a glimpse of the inside.
“It’s a beautiful opportunity to be able to open this up and to have people come out from the community and show love and to have the people that I came up with support a brand that I created,” Cannon said in the video.
On grand opening day, visitors were welcome to stop by and “enjoy mouth-watering burgers, tasty cocktails, and good vibes.” There also were opportunities to win a gift card and meet a few of the famous Wild’n Out girls.
“It’s homegrown,” Cannon said. “[It’s great] to be able to be homegrown, to bring that same fun and energy that we bring on television each and every night to a place where they feel they can feel safe and come and have a good time.”
Season 17 of Wild’n Out, hosted by Nick Cannon, kicked off last week on VH1.
Colton Underwood is engaged to his boyfriend, Jordan C. Brown, after less than a year together.
The former Bachelor star told People that he and Brown got engaged on a weekend getaway to Big Sur, saying he “couldn’t have pictured a more beautiful place to celebrate an amazing milestone in my life and relationship.”
He continued, “I’m extremely happy! 2021 was the most transformative year of my life. Starting 2022 off with my best friend, teammate and now fiancé is something I never thought was going to be possible.”
Underwood, 30, took to Instagram to confirm the news, sharing a photo of him and Brown, and captioning it, “life is going to be fun with you.”
The reality star told The New York Times in December that he and Brown, a political strategist, had been dating for several months. He said they were “very in love” and their families had already met.
Underwood publicly came out in an exclusive interview with Good Morning America last April. “I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” he told GMA, adding that he was “the happiest and healthiest” he’s ever been.
The Bachelorette alum then starred in the Netflix docu-series Coming Out Colton, which detailed his experience of coming out to his friends and family. It also showed him navigating life as a gay man in sports who is a Christian and a public figure.
Will Smith and Denzel Washington in 2008; Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
When Will Smith won his first Screen Actors Guild Award Sunday, he received congratulations from his idol, Denzel Washington. The former Fresh Prince was honored for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for King Richard.
“He’s always been a mentor for me and he grabbed me and he said, ‘This is your year,'” Smith told People. “He just hugged me and he said, ‘I’m so happy for you. Just love who you’re becoming,'” he said.
The Independence Day star says Denzel has been a major inspiration for his success.
“I would go to Denzel for advice so he’s seen me through the years and he was just telling me how proud he is of who I’ve become and what I’ve become,” Smith added.
In other news, when Samuel L. Jackson received the Chairman’s Award Saturday night during the NAACP Image Awards, he passionately demanded voting rights justice. The Pulp Fiction star called on viewers to use “our legs, our bodies, and our voices to work to make sure people do get out and vote.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to use my body to fight for things that were right, from civil rights, to the Vietnam War, to a lot of other things that needed fixing and changing. We got it done,” Jackson added. “The most important thing being the Voting Rights Act.”
Finally, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accepted the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards, they also supported the voting rights movement.
“It’s inspiring to think about the legacy surrounding the Image Awards, which began shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” Markle said. “Today, we can continue that legacy by reestablishing federal voting protections.”
