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.”
Oscar-winner Michael Douglas is playing an American icon: Founding father Benjamin Franklin.
The Kominsky Method star will bring the story of the legendary figure to life for a limited series produced by ITV Studios America and Apple Studios.
The project is based on Pulitzer-winner Stacy Schiff‘s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, and written for the screen and co-produced by Kirk Ellis, who wrote HBO’s acclaimed John Adams series.
“The drama will explore the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin’s career,” Apple TV+ teased in a statement.
“At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced France — an absolute monarchy — to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy,” the statement continues. “By virtue of his fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of l783.”
No word on who else will star in the series or when it’ll debut.
Eddie Vedder had a “serious” case of COVID-19 ahead of his just-wrapped solo tour.
The Pearl Jam frontman discussed his experience with the virus during his show in Los Angeles last Friday, telling the crowd, “I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing [for the tour], probably five, six weeks ago.”
“[I] literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes,” Vedder said.
He added, “To get through that and then be back in a room like this facing this many people facing this way and listening to us play for you…it’s been a gift and an honor.”
You can watch fan-shot footage of Vedder’s comments streaming now on YouTube.
Vedder’s tour, which supported his new solo album, Earthling, concluded Sunday in San Diego. Both the LA and San Diego shows were postponed from earlier in February due to a positive COVID-19 test amid Vedder’s touring party.
Carly Pearce is receiving a distinct honor from her home state.
The “Every Little Thing” hitmaker will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 later this year. The Taylor Mill native will join the likes of Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley and The Backstreet Boys, who are also members of the institution.
“Kentucky is where I learned to love country music and the incredibly talented musicians who wove their stories and texture throughout the genre. From straight-up sass of The Judds and Patty Loveless or truly understanding Loretta Lynn’s heartache, to the bluegrass tinge of Ricky Skaggs and Bill Monroe, their influences have driven my music,” Carly says in a statement. “I am so excited and grateful to be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame this fall.”
The induction ceremony will take place on October 28 in Renfro Valley. An exhibit about Carly’s career opened at the museum last year.
The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” was named “Global Digital Single of the Year” for 2020 by the Independent Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide. Now, he’s earned that title again for 2021, with his song “Save Your Tears.”
That makes the Canadian superstar the only artist ever to score that title from the IFPI two years running. The Global Digital Single Award is presented to the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats, including downloads and streams.
What’s more, the IFPI’s list of the top 10 Global Digital Singles of 2021 includes The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” at number seven, more than two years after it was released.
The rest of the top 10 best-selling singles in the world for last year include, in descending order, “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, “Butter” by BTS, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Peaches” by Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and Giveon, “good 4 u” by Olivia, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran.
Did you notice that Kane Brown tucked a sneaky shout-out to his four-legged best friend into the music video for his single, “One Mississippi”?
It’s true: In the scenes that were shot at a bar, the whiskey featured on the shelves is a brand called Dough Ball, a cookie dough-flavored whiskey that hails from California.
If you look closely at the label on the bottle, the brand’s mascot is a bulldog that looks just like Kane’s own bulldog, Rambo. The singer often posts photos and videos of Rambo on social media, along with the family’s other pup, Nash, a presa canario breed dog who Kane adopted in 2017.
Kane’s dogs get a mention in his 2019 single “Homesick,” and these days, they share the household with Kane, wife Katelyn, and their two daughters, Kingsley and Kodi.
A new behind-the-scenes video about the making of the “One Mississippi” video points out Kane’s tribute to Rambo, plus several other fun facts about the clip and the experience of filming it.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump on Monday sought to recast his administration’s role in bolstering Europe’s security, claiming credit for strengthening NATO and arming Ukraine’s military with advanced weaponry.
But critics were quick to point out that Trump, whose “America First” foreign policy slogan often reflected efforts to pull back from allies, frequently undermined NATO and once threatened to withhold military aide from Ukraine — a move that was deemed illegal by a government watchdog and became central to Trump’s first impeachment trial in Congress.
“It was Trump that undermined U.S. national security and froze military assistance to Ukraine,” retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council official during the Trump administration who testified at the impeachment inquiry, told ABC News on Monday. “It was Trump’s attacks on NATO and support from the far-right that encouraged Putin to believe that NATO was fragile. Trump has blood on his hands.”
Nonetheless, as Russian troops continued to clash with Ukrainian forces Monday, Trump boasted of fortifying Ukraine’s defense capabilities and declared that “there would be no NATO” if not for his efforts.
“I hope everyone is able to remember that it was me, as President of the United States, that got delinquent NATO members to start paying their dues, which amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump said in a statement.
“Also, it was me that got Ukraine the very effective anti-tank busters (Javelins) when the previous Administration was sending blankets,” he said. “Let History so note!”
Despite his claims of saving NATO, an alliance of 29 countries on both sides of the Atlantic, the Trump administration oversaw a period of immense strain with allies in Europe. As president, Trump wavered on his commitment to Article 5 of the NATO charter, which stipulates that an attack on one member state amounts to attack on them all.
Mick Mulroy, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Trump administration and now an ABC News contributor, characterized Article 5 as “what makes NATO the most effective military alliance in history.”
Ties with Europe became so strained during Trump’s presidency that Trump reportedly discussed removing the U.S. from NATO entirely. Two of Trump’s former national security advisers, John Bolton and Gen. John Kelly, have said publicly that Trump expressed an interest in exiting the alliance.
“To the extent President Trump’s rhetoric around NATO helped increase defense spending, it was likely more out of a fear that the U.S. commitment to European security was faltering rather than a positive reinforcement of mutual commitments to the Alliance and Euro-Atlantic security,” said Steven Keil, a fellow at the German Marshall Fund.
Critics also took note of Trump’s invocation of the Javelin, a shoulder-fired precision missile system designed to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles, in his infamous July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump, in 2018, had approved the $47 million sale of 210 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 37 launchers to Ukraine — the first lethal military assistance provided to Ukraine by the U.S. in its fight against Russian-supported separatists since fighting began in 2014. Zelenskyy told Trump in the 2019 phone call that his government was “almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes,” according to a readout of the call.
Trump responded: “I would like you to do us a favor though,” and then pressured Zelenskyy to work with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to publicly announce an investigation into then-candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who had previously served on the board of a Ukrainian oil firm. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump over the incident, but he was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office later found that the Trump administration broke the law in withholding nearly $400 million in congressional appropriations earmarked for Ukraine. The funds were eventually released, and the Trump administration denied any wrongdoing.
Beyoncé and Young Thug are among the list of stars who have recently spoken out about the discrimination against Africans attempting to flee Ukraine from war.
Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, shared an Instagram story on Sunday, offering his help to “get Africans out of Ukraine.”
“If some of my rap brothers are in I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine however I can sense they not letting us pass,” the post reads.
Williams’ message comes a few days after a series of videos were posted to the Africa Facts Zone Twitter page, citing racist treatment of Black migrants attempting to seek refuge. According to the page, a video shared on February 26 shows a large group of Africans being held back from entering trains to Poland and told to wait until Ukrainians board.
“Africans were forced to wait for Ukrainians to go first in several trains, and had to wait until all Ukrainians had boarded trains before they would be allowed to get into one,” the tweet read.
In response to Williams’ offer, Ghanaian entrepreneur Kelvin Mensah, popularly known as PJ Kev, included his email address in support, saying, “I’m wit you my brother. Anything I can do. Reach out Asap.” Others such as record label founder Kevin Liles and rapper Strick expressed their support as well.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé‘s BeyGood foundation took to its Twitter account to express hope that the “various embassies could swiftly rectify the situation to help those in need of support.”
The hashtag #AfricansInUkraine started to trend over the weekend, as social media users expressed outrage at the reportedly racist acts. Videos shared on Twitter and Instagram of African people left behind garnered views by thousands.
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS will discuss their nomination for this year’s Best Original Song Oscar 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.
Eilish and FINNEAS are nominated for their James Bond theme “No Time to Die.”
The conversation will also include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Van Morrison, Diane Warren and Dixson, who are nominated for their songs for the movies Encanto, Belfast, Four Good Days and King Richard, respectively. Disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers will moderate the discussion alongside SHoF president and Oscar-winner Paul Williams.
Brann Dailor is getting more use out of his Rob HalfordHalloween costume.
The Mastodon drummer and vocalist leads a cover of the Judas Priest song “Screaming for Vengeance,” recorded for the popular metal-themed YouTube channel Two Minutes to Late Night.
Dailor explored the upper register of his voice to sing the 1982 tune while surrounded by shredders including Anthrax‘s Jon Donais and Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds, aka Gwarsenio Hall.
Two Minutes to Late Night previously featured Dailor’s Mastodon band mate Bill Kellihertaking onRush‘s “Anthem” alongside an all-star prog lineup of Tool‘s Danny Carey, Primus‘ Les Claypool and Coheed and Cambria‘s Claudio Sanchez.
