Fender has created a limited-edition replica version of George Harrison‘s 1968 rosewood Telecaster, which the late Beatle used during the 1969 sessions for the band’s Let It Be album and played at the group’s historic rooftop concert in London, as seen in the acclaimed Disney+ docuseries The Beatles: Get Back.
The instrument is available for a list price of $2,900, and only 1,000 copies will be produced.
The original 1968 rosewood Telecaster was a prototype model that Fender gave to Harrison in late 1968.
The guitar’s features include a chambered rosewood body, a late-1960s “C”-shaped rosewood neck, a rosewood fretboard, two vintage 1964 Telecaster pickups, “F”-stamped tuners and a neckplate that boasts an engraved George Harrison’s signature and his tradmark Om logo.
In a YouTube video promoting the George Harrison Rosewood Telecaster, Fender product manager notes that the guitar “has a sound all its own, with bell-like highs, smooth mids and punchy lows.”
A Magic Mike reunion could be in the cards for Channing Tatum and Mathew McConaughey.
It’s been 10 years since the two first collaborated on the franchise which explores Tatum’s past as a male stripper in Magic Mike. McConaughey portrayed the strip club owner in the first film, but opted not to partake in the sequel, Magic Mike XXL. When it comes to the third installment, though, McConaughey seems open to returning.
“Channing Tatum, call me, bro! I haven’t heard from ya!” the Oscar winner told Variety when asked if he’d be reprising his role.
“I don’t know.” he added. “I’d have to read [the script] first. It was a helluva lot of fun doing the first one.”
In November, Tatum announced that Magic Mike’s Last Dancewas in the works with director Steven Soderberghat the helm. The film, which will be released on HBO Max, is set to begin shooting next month.
(BEIJING) — U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin on Thursday crashed out in the slalom in the women’s Alpine combined event, bringing to a close the six-time world champion’s bid for an individual medal in Beijing.
Shiffrin had been in fifth place after the downhill section of the event, but her crash meant that she would not finish, the third time she’s done so in these Winter Games.
“A heartbreaking DNF for @MikaelaShiffrin,” the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team said on Twitter Thursday. “This has been a challenging #Olympics. Thanks to the fans for all of your support.”
Michelle Gisin of Switzerland will take home the gold in the combined event, with the silver going to teammate Wendy Holdener and the bronze to Italy’s Federica Brignone.
Shiffrin started the Games one medal away from tying the record for most Olympic medals by a female American Alpine skier — four. She is two gold medals away from holding the record for most golds ever by a female Alpine skier — also four.
On Tuesday, Shiffrin came up empty handed in her fourth competition, placing 18th in the downhill skiing event. She finished ninth in the super-G event.
She also said last week she may also compete in the team event, which she had not planned to enter coming into the Games.
Shiffrin had been expected to be a downhill contender on Tuesday, although the event wasn’t her strongest. Her time of 1:34.36 placed her 2:49 behind Corinne Suter of Switzerland, who took gold with a time of 1:31.87. Italy brought home both the silver and bronze medals, with Sofia Goggia finishing in 1:32.03 and Nadia Delago finishing in 1:32.44.
“Racing DH tomorrow!” Shiffrin said on Twitter on Monday. “The track is spectacular and I have ‘overthought’ the crap out of it over the last couple days so it’s prob time to just point ‘em straight and get low.”
Shiffrin last week finished ninth in the super-G, with Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami winning gold, her second medal of the Games.
Two days earlier, Shiffrin had shockingly busted out of the competition just seconds into the first run of the slalom. Shiffrin missed the fourth gate in her run, the event where she won her first Olympic gold in 2014.
The skier, who was expected to challenge for several medals in Beijing, sat on the side of the hill, with her head in her hands, for 20 minutes after the stunning accident.
The 26-year-old also fell during her first run in the giant slalom last Monday, disqualifying her from the event.
“Could blame it on a lot of things…and we’ll analyze it till the cows come home, but not today,” Shiffrin said on Instagram following that crash. “Today I chalk it up to really awful timing of a really frustrating mistake. Moving focus to slalom now, AND cheering for my teammates in the second run of the GS and the DH!”
Sweden’s Sara Hector took the gold in the giant slalom with a time of 1:55:68, followed by Italy’s Federica Brignone with a time of 1:55.97 and Gut-Behrami with a time of 1:56:41.
Shiffrin, a Colorado native, has been competing since she was 16 and quickly became one of the sport’s all-time greatest skiers with her record-setting performances. She is the most decorated Alpine skier in the world circuit having won 11 World Championship medals, six gold.
At 18 years old she became the youngest slalom champion when she won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Games. Shiffrin won a gold medal in the giant slalom competition and a silver medal in the combined competition during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
(BEIJING) — The U.S. women’s hockey team was defeated 3-2 by Canada in the Winter Olympics final in Beijing on Thursday.
The loss marked the latest turn in what’s become a rivalry for the ages. Since women’s hockey was introduced at the Olympics in 1998, only the United States or Canada has come home with the gold.
Signs of the Canadian team’s strength came early on Thursday, with a goal from Sarah Nurse in the first 8 minutes of play. Canada’s Natalie Spooner had scored less than a moment earlier, but her goal was successfully challenged by the U.S., which said Canada had been offside.
Marie-Philip Poulin then scored just after the 15-minute mark, giving Canada a 2-0 lead to end the first period.
Nine minutes into the second period, Canada’s Poulin again scored.
The first goal for the U.S. came a few moments before the end of the second period, with Hilary Knight netting her sixth in Beijing. With seconds to go in the third period, Amanda Kessel scored Team USA’s second goal.
The game was the sixth time in seven Olympics that the U.S. women’s hockey team faced Canada in a bid for Olympic gold. Canada now owns five golds, while the U.S. still has two.
The buildup to the final had been ferocious, with each team barreling through the competition. Canada went 6-0, giving up only eight goals while scoring an astounding 54.
The U.S., meanwhile, only lost one game throughout the tournament — to Canada, 4-2.
Team USA took a hit early on in the Olympics when star forward Brianna Decker got knocked out of play with an on-ice injury.
But, as demonstrated by their continued success, the team was still stacked with power, including from captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, Abbey Roque, Kessel and Knight, returning for her fourth Olympics.
Knight, 32, led the U.S. in scoring going into Thursday’s game, with five goals and four assists in Beijing.
The goalie roster for the U.S. had also been showing their mettle this Olympics between Nicole Hensley, Alex Cavallini and Maddie Rooney. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, the gold medal match came down to goalies when it went to a shootout. Rooney saved Canada’s lost shot then, giving America the gold.
On the Canadian side, the Americans squared off with captain Poulin, Claire Thompson and goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens. Canadian forward Brianne Jenner leads all goal scorers in the Olympics with nine, while teammate Sarah Fillier is second with eight goals. The top five assist leaders in the tournament were all on the Canadian team, led by overall scoring leader Nurse with 12 going into Thursday’s game.
The Olympics are the most high-profile venue for women’s hockey, which has faced struggles establishing more local groundwork. In the four years since the 2018 Olympics, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded and the National Women’s Hockey League rebranded to the Premier Hockey Federation. Athletes have long been calling for more funding and support both for a functional league with livable salaries and for building infrastructure for youth sport to grow a pipeline.
The U.S. women have at least one supporter who intimately understands those efforts: Billie Jean King voiced her support for Team USA to “win!” in a video posted by hockey veteran Angela Ruggiero on Wednesday.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta 130, Orlando 109
Detroit 112, Boston 111
Indiana 113, Washington 108
Brooklyn 111, New York 106
Chicago 125, Sacramento 118
San Antonio 114, Oklahoma City 106
Toronto 103, Minnesota 91
Portland 123, Memphis 119
Phoenix 124, Houston 121
LA Lakers 106, Utah 101
Denver 117, Golden State 116
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Winnipeg 6, Minnesota 3
Florida 3 Carolina 2 (OT)
Calgary 6, Anaheim 2
Colorado 2, Vegas 0
(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken telling ABC News Wednesday the U.S. has seen “no meaningful pullback” of Russian forces and that Russian President Vladimir Putin could “pull the trigger” at any point.
More than 150,000 Russian troops are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday, as U.S. officials have urged all Americans to immediately leave Ukraine.
While Putin and the Kremlin claim that Russia has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders, ABC News has learned Putin had told his military forces to be ready to invade by Wednesday. It remains unclear whether he has made a decision to attack his neighbor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, celebrated a national “day of unity” Wednesday.
Russia has denied it plans to invade and has demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Latest headlines:
-Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
-UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
-Russian troops in ‘firing positions’: State Dept.
-Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
-Ukriane’s Zelenskyy addresses nation on ‘unity day’
-Moscow claims concern Kyiv preparing for attack against Donbas
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 16, 8:51 pm
Harris to meet with Ukrainian president in Munich this week
Vice President Kamala Harris this week will make one of her most significant foreign policy trips since taking office, heading to Germany to lead the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference — where she will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We are in a very decisive moment,” a senior administration official told reporters as Harris prepared to lead the U.S. delegation, calling it a “resounding signal that engagement with our allies and partners is an absolutely critical part of our overall diplomacy in our approach to this situation.”
During the Wednesday night call, senior administration officials said the tensions with Russia will be a major focus of the vice president’s time abroad, with her schedule featuring a “series of high-stakes, high-level diplomatic talks.”
Harris’ most notable meeting will be with the Ukrainian president on Saturday.
“That’ll be a real opportunity to underscore our commitment to Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity and to further coordinate the diplomatic efforts that have been underway to provide economic, and defensive security in Ukraine,” an official said.
Harris is also expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
She will deliver keynote remarks at the conference, where she is expected to address the situation on Ukraine’s borders — touching on diplomatic, military and economic coordination of allies.
“The vice president will underscore how that unity is a source of strength that will allow us to respond quickly and severely to any further Russian aggression,” an official said.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Feb 16, 7:24 pm
Russia has added as many as 7,000 troops in last few days, White House official says
Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border by as many as 7,000 troops in the last few days, with some arriving Wednesday, a senior White House official told ABC News.
The assessment comes a day after the Russian government said it has started to withdraw some troops from near Ukraine’s borders.
The official didn’t comment on the total number of Russian forces currently along the border.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia has “more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine and Belarus and along Ukraine’s border.” It’s unclear if that number includes any of the new troops cited by the official.
Private satellite imaging company Maxar on Wednesday released over two dozen new images from the last 48 hours that continue to show Russia’s heightened military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.
They include images that show a new 20-strong attack helicopter unit deployed in Belarus, a field hospital in Belarus and a pontoon bridge that has appeared across a river in Belarus, four miles from Ukraine’s border.
At least three of the images indicate some troops have departed or are preparing to depart, according to Maxar, though it’s unclear where the troops are going.
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Patrick Reevell
Feb 16, 6:11 pm
Biden holds call with German Chancellor Scholz
President Joe Biden had a secure call Wednesday afternoon with German Chancellor Scholz, according to the White House, ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveling to Germany on Thursday for the Munich Security Conference.
The two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “underscored the importance of continued transatlantic coordination on diplomacy and deterrence measures,” the White House said.
Scholz visited the Kremlin and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday. The German chancellor has said that war is “unimaginable” and shouldn’t be an option since Ukraine has not formally requested to join NATO, as Russia demands it be barred from doing so.
“That is why it is somewhat peculiar to observe that the Russian government is making something that is practically not on the agenda the subject of major political problems,” Scholz said earlier this week.
“That is, after all, the challenge we are actually facing. That something that is not at all an issue now is being made an issue,” he said.
Feb 16, 5:10 pm
UK’s top military intel officer says Russian buildup continues
British Army Lt. Gen. James Hockenhull, chief of defense intelligence, said Wednesday that the U.K. has also not seen evidence that Russia is withdrawing substantial forces from near Ukraine, matching comments from NATO and U.S. officials.
“We have not seen evidence that Russia has withdrawn forces from Ukraine’s borders. Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine,” Hockenhull said in a rare public statement.
“This includes sightings of additional armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine’s borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Russian units that are supposedly pulling back appear to actually be returning to their home bases that are already located next to Ukraine. Security analysts say that Russia appears to simply be shuffling its forces for the time being, while more continue to arrive.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian in the French Senate Wednesday also said, for now, they are unable to say whether Russian troops are withdrawing or rotating but that Russia has all the elements in place for an attack.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler, Patrick Reevell and Anna Rabe
(NEW YORK) — In an event plagued by controversy, the women’s singles figure skating competition will wrap up Thursday with the free skate — and Russian skater Kamila Valieva will be last on the ice.
The first skaters are scheduled to take the ice at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
The International Testing Agency revealed last week that Valieva, 15, of the Russian Olympic Committee, the gold medal favorite, tested positive for a banned substance in a sample taken in December during the Russian Figure Skating Championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Valieva could compete, despite the news, saying it was because she was a minor and the full appeal process, including the testing of her B sample, had yet to take place.
The question of what will happen to the ROC’s gold in the team event — won with Valieva leading the way — will be determined by the International Skating Union once a full appeal of the test can be conducted, according to the International Testing Agency.
Valieva leads the competition with the highest score out of Tuesday’s short program, earning 82.16. In second place is Anna Shcherbakova of the ROC, scoring 80.20, followed by Kaori Sakamoto of Japan in third place, scoring 79.84.
The gold medal will be awarded to the skater who scores the highest total score, comprised of the combined scores for the short program and the free skate.
Should Valieva be on the podium, as is expected, the IOC said it will not hold a medal ceremony.
Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics during the team event, and she did so twice. She’s expected to pack her program in Thursday’s free skate with multiple quads as well.
Russian athletes are competing under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to the ban against Russia participating in the games, put in place because of a systemic doping program from the 2014 Sochi Games.
This is the second Olympics in a row that Russia has competed under the ROC name. The country is banned from participating in all international sporting events due to the doping allegations.
Russian athletes who could prove they were clean and unconnected to the cover-up were allowed to compete.
Since women’s hockey was introduced at the Olympics in 1998, only the United States or Canada has come home with the gold.
Now, for the sixth time in seven Olympics, the U.S. women’s hockey team is facing Canada in a bid for Olympic gold.
The game is taking place Thursday in Beijing (11 p.m. ET Wednesday night) to see who will come out on top this time around. Canada owns four golds, while the U.S. has two.
The buildup to the final has been ferocious, with each team barreling through the competition. Canada went 6-0, giving up only eight goals while scoring an astounding 54.
The U.S., meanwhile, only lost one game throughout the tournament — to Canada, 4-2.
Team USA took a hit early on in the Olympics when star forward Brianna Decker got knocked out of play with an on-ice injury.
But, as demonstrated by their continued success, the team is still stacked with power, including from captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Roque and Hilary Knight, returning for her fourth Olympics. Knight, 32, leads the U.S. in scoring with five goals and four assists.
The goalie roster for the U.S. has also been showing their mettle this Olympics between Nicole Hensley, Alex Cavallini and Maddie Rooney. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, the gold medal match came down to goalies when it went to a shootout. Rooney saved Canada’s lost shot then, giving America the gold.
On the Canadian side, the Americans will square off with captain Marie-Philip Poulin, Claire Thompson and goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens. Canadian forward Brianne Jenner leads all goal scorers in the Olympics with nine, while teammate Sarah Fillier is second with eight goals. The top five assist leaders in the tournament are all on the Canadian team, led by overall scoring leader Sarah Nurse with 12.
The Olympics are the most high-profile venue for women’s hockey, which has faced struggles establishing more local groundwork. In the four years since the 2018 Olympics, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded and the National Women’s Hockey League rebranded to the Premier Hockey Federation. Athletes have long been calling for more funding and support both for a functional league with livable salaries and for building infrastructure for youth sport to grow a pipeline.
The U.S. women have at least one supporter who intimately understands those efforts: Billie Jean King voiced her support for Team USA to “win!” in a video posted by hockey veteran Angela Ruggiero on Wednesday.
At least one moment in Pam & Tommy didn’t actually happen.
In the most recent episode of the Hulu limited series, which tells the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee‘s infamous sex tape, the Mötley Crüe drummer, played by Sebastian Stan, gets into a tiff with Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, portrayed by Jeffrey Conway.
The scene, which takes place in 1996, finds Lee angry that his band was booked in a smaller studio than where they usually record, which is now occupied by the up-and-coming “Semi-Charmed Life” rockers. When Lee confronts Jenkins and company, he learns both bands are signed to the same record label, Elektra.
“They booked these a**clowns in the big room over us?” Lee exclaims in disbelief.
However, as the real life Jenkins tells Variety, the scene is all fiction.
“Mötley Crüe and I’ve never been in the same studio,” Jenkins says. “I recorded my whole first album in Northern California. So we were across the state from each other at the very least.”
Jenkins adds that he hasn’t watch the Pam & Tommy scene, explaining, “I feel strange watching myself being portrayed.”
“Just the idea is making me kind of smile,” he says. “I hope whoever played me on TV was pretty.”
As for why the Third Eye Blind scene was included if it didn’t happen, Pam & Tommy executive producer Rob Siegel says that he felt the “Jumper” outfit was the “perfect band” to represent where Mötley Crüe was in the music industry at the time.
“I did a little quick Google search…Who else was on Elektra? Third Eye Blind,” Siegel says. “The timing was perfect…So the scene is fictional, but I like to think it absolutely could have happened!”
Now we know why Journey‘s upcoming North American trek is called the 2022 Freedom Tour. Guitarist Neal Schon took to his Instagram page today to reveal that the band’s new studio album is titled Freedom.
Schon posted a photo that shows Journey’s logo, the title Freedom and the record’s 15-song track list, along with a message that reads, “Teaser…it’s coming and it’s loaded.”
The album includes lead single “The Way We Used to Be,” which was released back in June of 2021, as well as songs titled “Together We Run,” “Still Believe in Love,” “After Glow,” “Let It Rain,” “All Day All Night” and “United We Stand.”
Schon also posted a note today on his Twitter feed about the forthcoming album, writing, “I wanted to stick true artistically to the times and values of older albums where every track means something and it’s meant to be played from top to bottom and take you on a ride…no pun intended ‘JOURNEY FREEDOM.'”
No word yet on a release date.
Freedom will be Journey’s first new studio album since 2011’s Eclipse. It’s also the band’s first new album since the 2020 firings of longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith, who were replaced, respectively, by Randy Jackson and Narada Michael Walden.
Journey’s current lineup features Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka, and drummer Deen Castronovo. It’s not clear whether Jackson or Walden will be touring with the band.
Journey’s Freedom Tour 2022, featuring special guest Toto, kicks off February 22 in Pittsburgh.
