Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee celebration, which will mark her 70th year on the British throne, just got a lot more star-studded.
The lineup for the Platinum Party at the Palace, a massive concert set for June 4 in front of Buckingham Palace in London, has been revealed. Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart, Duran Duran and Diana Ross are among the performers, as are, fittingly, Queen + Adam Lambert.
The bill also includes Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Also part of the lineup are several pop and rock artists who are well known in the U.K. but perhaps less familiar in the U.S., including George Ezra, Craig David, Elbow, Sam Ryder, Mabel, Sigala & Ella Eyre, Mica Paris, Celeste and Mimi Webb.
There are just 10,000 tickets available, which are being allocated on a first come, first served basis. Visit the BBC’s websitefor more information. It’s not clear yet if the BBC’s broadcast of the event will air in North America.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for MTV Entertainment
Selena Gomez once again teamed up with the Biden administration to highlight the importance of mental health. The Grammy nominee met with first lady Jill Biden, as well as Ambassador Susan Rice, to rally for positive change.
Selena was in Washington, D.C., to host the first Mental Health Youth Action Forum on Wednesday, which brought together 30 mental health youth activists to share their experiences and ideas on how to improve accessibility and bring resources to those in need.
USA Todayreports Biden opened up about her personal struggles with mental health before introducing Selena. “The darkness inside of us can feel heavy at times, but we can share the weight of it together,” the first lady said. “It takes courage to be honest about the struggles that you’ve faced and to tell your stories. And it takes courage to understand that your voice can make a difference, and to show your creativity and talents to all of the world.”
Selena used her time to change the dialogue on openly discussing mental health, saying that normalizing these conversations will help those who are struggling in silence.
“Bringing attention to mental health through media or just talking about your own journeys can help. It sets the example that it’s a topic that can and should be discussed freely and without shame,” she said in a speech that brought tears to her eyes.
She also rallied to increase resources to address the nation’s mental health needs, saying, “I want to ensure that everyone, no matter their age, their race, religion, sexual orientation, has access to services that support their mental health.”
The “Wolves” singer previously teamed up with the Biden administration in 2020, joining Vice President Kamala Harris for a virtual discussion on destigmatizing mental health.
Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee celebration, which will mark her 70th year on the British throne, just got a lot more star-studded.
The lineup for the Platinum Party at the Palace, a massive concert set for June 4 in front of Buckingham Palace in London, has been revealed. Sir Elton John and Sir Rod Stewart are among the performers, as are, fittingly, Queen + Adam Lambert.
The bill also includes Duran Duran, Diana Ross, Elbow, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Also part of the lineup are several pop artists who are well known in the U.K. but less familiar in the U.S., including Sam Ryder, Mabel, George Ezra, Craig David, Sigala & Ella Eyre, Mica Paris, Celeste and Mimi Webb.
There are just 10,000 tickets available, which are being allocated on a first come, first served basis. Visit the BBC’s website for more information. It’s not clear yet if the BBC’s broadcast of the event will air in North America.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to address the widespread shortage of baby formula, the White House announced Wednesday evening.
The move will get ingredients to manufacturers to help speed up production, the administration said.
“The President is requiring suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good,” the White House said in a statement. “Directing firms to prioritize and allocate the production of key infant formula inputs will help increase production and speed up in supply chains.”
The president has also directed the use of Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up infant formula overseas to get on U.S. shelves faster while U.S. manufacturers ramp up production, the White House said.
The ongoing baby formula crisis has triggered a public outcry from parents and lawmakers, as well as an investigation by the House Oversight Committee.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are expected to return to American Idol, reports Deadline. The ABC series was renewed for another season. Although their return hasn’t formally been announced, ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich said, “We’re looking forward to having that same chemistry next year.”
Kelly Clarkson opened up about the early days of remote learning and told People, “I was like, ‘Dear God, I hope my nanny doesn’t quit!'” Kelly super appreciates educators, saying teachers have “a crazy hard job.” She’s since teamed with Norwegian Cruise Line to give 100 teachers a much-needed vacation via its Giving Joy contest. Nominate those who are most deserving on the official website.
Harry Styles admits fans will see his “bum-bum” in his new film My Policeman — but assured nothing else will be shown on the big screen. He also told Howard Stern he had to “wear a gas mask” while getting tattoos airbrushed all over him, adding that they come into play for his steamier scenes. The movie’s due out this year.
Jennifer Lopez dropped the trailer for her Halftime documentary, which arrives on Netflix June 14. The movie covers the singer’s preparation for her Super Bowl halftime performance and the career wins that led to the moment. The doc will take a deep dive into Jennifer’s life, psyche and dreams for the second half of her career.
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — The 18-year-old suspect who allegedly gunned down 10 people in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday had, authorities say, an assault-style rifle, body armor, a tactical helmet — and a small camera.
The horror that followed became the latest mass shooting simultaneously broadcast online. Twitch, the Amazon-owned platform on which the video appeared, said it took down the broadcast after less than two minutes.
But that duration gave enough time for individuals to download and repost copies of the video, one of which was viewed more than 3 million times, after a link to the video on Facebook garnered more than 500 comments and 46,000 shares before its removal, the Washington Post reported.
Plus, a 180-page document believed to have been published by the alleged shooter that included a litany of bigoted views said the writer had seen hateful messages on 4chan and other sites known for the appearance of white supremacist content, raising the possibility that he had been radicalized online. An additional 589-page document believed to be tied to the alleged shooter included postings by the alleged shooter on Discord, a social media platform.
The suspected shooter is now facing murder charges to which he entered a not guilty plea.
The episode drew renewed criticism of tech platforms and urgent calls for scrutiny over the moderation of videos and messages posted online, which can quickly spread to a wide audience and possibly fuel copycat attacks. The uproar arrives at a moment of public reckoning over content moderation, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has used his $44 billion bid for Twitter to voice his skepticism of platforms taking a broad role in removing posts.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday that social media companies must balance free speech with concerns over public safety. During the same show, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized how hateful ideas spread on social media “like a virus” and called for accountability from the CEOs of social media companies.
Experts in online extremism told ABC News they hope the mass shooting on Saturday serves as a wake-up call to bolster the push for more rigorous moderation of online posts. But livestreams pose a particularly difficult task for those who police content on tech platforms, experts told ABC News, noting the challenge of monitoring and removing the posts in real time.
Further, online message boards that foment bigotry, such as 4chan, traffic in odious ideas that often stop short of violating the law, leaving the door open to such platforms with a more lax approach to monitoring content, Jared Holt, a resident fellow at Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, told ABC News.
The mass shooting in Buffalo, which saw 10 people killed — all of whom were Black — and three others injured, comes three years after a self-identified white supremacist livestreamed a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which resulted in 51 people dead. Live video on Facebook of that massacre remained online for 17 minutes, far longer than the less than two minutes it took Twitch to take down the video from Buffalo on Saturday.
“It’s an improvement, but needless to say, obviously it’s not a perfect answer,” Holt told ABC News. “Moderating live content has proven to be a massive challenge to tech platforms.”
In general, tech platforms police content through both automated systems and manual decisions made by individuals, Alice Marwick, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who specializes in the study of social media, told ABC News. Livestreams pose such difficulty because they can evade the automated systems, forcing platforms to rely on human moderators who sometimes cannot handle the overwhelming volume of incoming content, she said.
“The size and scale of the number of livestreams that there are on a daily basis make it impossible to moderate them completely,” she said.
More than 8 million users broadcast live on Twitch each month, and the site features an average of more than 2.5 million hours of video every day, Twitch Global Head of Trust and Safety Angela Hession told ABC News in a statement.
“We’ve invested heavily in our sitewide safety operations and in the people and technologies who drive them, and will continue to do so,” she said.
Platforms could further limit livestream incidents like what happened in Buffalo by implementing a time-delay for live footage, like television stations do, Marwick and Holt said. The companies could also ensure that users must be verified before gaining the ability to livestream, as YouTube does.
But livestreaming will not be removed from the platforms altogether, Holt said, citing companies like Twitch that depend on livestreaming for their business. “The cat is out of the proverbial bag,” he said.
Even a brief livestream can end up reaching a large audience. As noted, in the case of the video of the shooting in Buffalo, a copy of the livestreamed video received millions of views after a link on Facebook helped drive traffic to it, the Washington Post reported.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, told ABC News that the company on Saturday quickly designated the event as a “violating terrorist attack,” which prompted an internal process to identify and remove the account of the identified suspect, as well as copies of his alleged document and any copy of or link to video of his alleged attack.
The move ensures that any copies of or links to the video, writing or other content that praises, supports or represents the suspect will be removed, the spokesperson added.
In a statement, Twitch told ABC News: “We are devastated to hear about the shooting that took place in Buffalo, New York. Our hearts go out to the community impacted by this tragedy. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against violence of any kind and works swiftly to respond to all incidents.”
“The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content,” the statement added.
Content monitors also face a challenge from message boards and other sites that feature white supremacist ideology and can radicalize users. Since such content is offensive and dangerous but oftentimes legal, the onus falls on platforms to take an aggressive approach to remove it, Holt told ABC News. Not all platforms bring the same level of rigor to the task, he added.
The anonymous imageboard website 4chan is known for the appearance of hateful content. The alleged shooter in Buffalo named 4chan as a site he had visited. The website has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
Hateful content can migrate from alternative platforms to more mainstream ones, allowing such messages to reach a wider audience before they are addressed, Holt said.
“There may be awful things on seedier internet platforms like 4chan,” he said. “The internet doesn’t exist as perfectly siloed platforms.”
The alleged shooter also posted messages online in a private group on Discord, a social media platform. It’s unclear who had access to the group. According to ABC News consultant and former Department of Homeland Security official John Cohen, Discord is a popular platform mostly with high school-aged teenagers and has been used to spread conspiracy theories.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families. Hate and violence have no place on Discord. We are doing everything we can to assist law enforcement in the investigation,” a spokesperson for Discord told ABC News in a statement.
Online radicalization takes place over a prolonged period, affording multiple opportunities for platforms to step in, said Marwick, the professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“When people do get radicalized online, it’s not something that happens in an instant,” she said. “Sometimes people like to think about this as a flash of lightning — that’s not how this works”
“It takes place over a period of time,” she adds. “There are possible points of intervention before it gets to this point.”
An HBO Max movie based on DC Comics characters The Wonder Twins has been shelved.
The Hollywood Reporter reports the plug has been pulled on the project, which was to get underway soon with RiverdaleleadKJ Apa and 1883 actress Isabel Mayon as titular twins Zan and Jayna.
As any fan of Super Friends could tell you, the siblings were shape-shifters. After declaring, “Wonder Twins powers, activate!” Zan could transform into any form of water, while Jayna could become any animal.
The trade says the decision might be due to Warner Bros. rebranding as Warner Bros. Discovery and its new CEO, David Zaslav, who is reorganizing the studio’s DC properties with an eye toward big-screen projects.
That said, a source tells the trade that the script, as written by its would-be director, Black Adam screenwriter Adam Sztykiel, was deemed to be “too niche” for a feature film.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, which will mark her 70th year on the throne, just got a lot more star-studded.
The lineup for the Platinum Party at the Palace, a massive concert set for June 4 in front of Buckingham Palace, has been revealed. Sir Elton John, Diana Ross and Sir Rod Stewart are among the performers, as are Duran Duran, Alicia Keys and, fittingly, Queen + Adam Lambert.
Andrea Bocelli and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber will also perform, as will Lin-Manuel Miranda.
British pop and rock artists who are super-famous in the U.K. but somewhat less well known in the U.S. will be on hand as well, including Sam Ryder, Mabel, the band Elbow, George Ezra, Craig David, Sigala & Ella Eyre, Mica Paris, Celeste and Mimi Webb.
There are just 10,000 tickets available, which are being allocated on a first come, first served basis. Visit the BBC’s website for more information. It’s not clear yet if the BBC’s broadcast of the event will air in North America.
Luke Bryan was among the many performers who turned out at a ceremony on May 12 honoring Lionel Richie, this year’s recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. PBS aired the event on Tuesday night.
During his time onstage, Luke performed “Lady,” a classic from Lionel’s catalog with a country connection. The song was recorded by Kenny Rogers in 1980, becoming a massive cross-genre hit for both artists.
Before he sang, Luke briefly spoke about his relationship with the honoree. “You know how we all have bad days? I wake up and have a bad day, and then I tell myself, ‘Somewhere, Lionel Richie ain’t having a bad day, so you better have a good day,’” he told the crowd.
“This guy is everything you believe he is, I promise you,” Luke added.
The country superstar also marked the moment on his social media, posting some snapshots of his performance and video of the hug he shared with Lionel after the song.
“I’ve got nothing but love for you [Lionel Richie]!” Luke wrote in the caption of his post. “It was an incredible experience getting to honor you at the #GershwinPrize concert.”
The country genre was well represented during the ceremony, which featured a massive cast of performers from all genres. Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton were also on hand to tribute the pop legend.
Another Pearl Jam member has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the band to cancel upcoming shows in Sacramento, California, and Las Vegas.
The grunge rockers announced Wednesday that bassist Jeff Ament had contracted the virus, a week after drummer Matt Cameron tested positive. While they had kept the tour going without Cameron by using guest drummers — including original Ten drummer Dave Krusen, and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current PJ touring member Josh Klinghoffer — Ament testing positive means Pearl Jam’s whole rhythm section is now sidelined.
“This is horrible for everybody involved and we are especially sorry to those out there who have made plans to attend these shows,” Pearl Jam writes. “Our attention to staying inside the bubble has been constant. We have truly done all that we could have to remain clear of infection.”
The Sacramento date was scheduled for tonight, May 18, while the Las Vegas show was supposed to happen this Friday, May 20. Refunds will be issued to ticket holders.
“We are so very sorry,” PJ’s statement concludes. “Be safe out there.”
The Vegas concert was also the last stop on the first leg of Pearl Jam’s North American tour, which was already rescheduled from 2020 due to the pandemic. The next leg is set to launch September 1 in Quebec.
