(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Baltimore 3, St. Louis 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland 5, Detroit 3
Houston 11, Minnesota 3
Houston 5, Minnesota 0
Texas 3, Kansas City 1
NY Yankees 15 Chicago White Sox 7
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NY Mets 4, Washington 1
Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 9, LA Dodgers 7
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Miami 99, Philadelphia 90 (Miami wins 4-2)
Dallas 113, Phoenix 86 (Series tied 3-3)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Boston 5, Carolina 2 (Series tied 3-3)
Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3 (OT) (Series tied 3-3)
St. Louis 5, Minnesota 1 (St. Louis wins 4-2)
Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 2 (Series tied 3-3)
The Lincoln Lawyer is driving on to a TV set near you this weekend –- the Netflix series about a lawyer who works out of the back of his various Lincoln cars is based on the wildly popular book series, which was made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey in 2011. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo Garcia-Rulfo stars in this latest version, and he tells ABC Audio he plays it different than McConaughey, though he loves him.
“I remember watching the film, Matthew McConaughey’s film, back in the day, when it came out and loving it, loving what he did. I mean, it’s Matthew McConaughey, he’s amazing,” the actor gushes. “I especially remember the character, because I wasn’t familiar at the time with the books… what a great character.”
Stepping into the lead character’s shoes as a Mexican actor is a dream come true for Garcia-Rulfo, who says, “That’s the great thing about America…it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can make it.”
“I think I was very thankful to be playing not the cartel,” he continues. “It’s such a cool thing to be a lead as a Mexican actor, to be playing that is really, really something.”
“When I when I got [the lead role], I’m like, wait, am I playing the lawyer? You know, like, is this the lead, are you sure?” the actor recalls. “It’s so important. It’s it was such a pleasure. And I’m really thankful for that.“
Although thankful for the role, if Garcia-Rulfo were a lawyer he wouldn’t be working out of the backseat of a moving car like his character does.
“I get car sick very easy,” he admits. “Like I can’t read, you know? No I couldn’t do it.”
We don’t know when we’re getting new music from him, but when it comes to performing live, Zedd is back in full force.
Following the announcement of his Zedd in the Park event in Los Angeles on July 8, “The Middle” mastermind has announced several headlining shows. He’ll perform at New York’s Brooklyn Mirage on August 12 and 13; at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on August 31; and at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on October 8.
The general on-sale for the shows starts today, Friday, at 10 a.m. local time via Zedd.net. Zedd is also playing the after-party of the Billboard Music Conference this Saturday night, taking place at Zouk at Resorts World in Las Vegas.
So far this year, Zedd has released two singles: “Follow” with Martin Garrix and “You’ve Got to Let Go If You Want to Be Free” with Disclosure. Over the last few years, Zedd has teamed up with Katy Perry for the song “365” and with Shawn Mendes for a remix of “Lost In Japan.”
In 2021, Rod Stewart announced that he’d extended his Rod Stewart: The Hits residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas into an 11th year. Those dates begin Friday, May 13, and run through May 21. What keeps the legendary singer coming back to Sin City? Well, the money, of course, but also, Rod just really, really likes the Colosseum.
“I do get paid rather nicely, to be honest,” Rod tells ABC Audio. However, he adds, “It’s probably the best venue in the world to see your favorite rock star. Or see anybody...your favorite juggler! Yeah, the seats are gorgeous, the best sound…it’s just a privilege to play there.”
Plus, Rod notes, “You only have to play for an hour and a half…you play any longer, they grab you by the neck and drag you off!”
Rod’s exaggerating, but it’s true that Las Vegas shows are generally kept somewhat short, for obvious reasons.
“They want to get everybody back into the casino, gambling,” Rod laughs. “‘Mr. Stewart, only 90 minutes, please!’ ‘Cause I sometimes go on for two hours!”
If you can’t see Rod during this run, he’ll be back in Las Vegas from September 30 to October 1. But he’s also coming to you: His North American summer tour with Cheap Trick starts June 10 in Vancouver, and wraps up September 17 in Edmonton, Alberta.
In between, Rod’ll play the Hollywood Bowl, as well as Denver, Phoenix, Nashville, Milwaukee, Saint Paul, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and other major cities. Visit RodStewart.com for the full itinerary.
Burna Boy is giving some insight into his new album and plans for the future.
In a new interview with Billboard, the Nigerian artist confirms it’s titled Love, Damini and is due out on his birthday, July 2. Damini comes from his birth name, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu.
“That’s how I like to sign all my letters, because I didn’t know the proper [signoff],” Burna says of the title’s meaning. “It’s a bit personal [because] it’s bringing you into my head on my birthday — when you turn 31 and ain’t got no kids, everything is going good and bad at the same time.”
“You reflect and then you get as lit as possible,” he adds. “Then you sleep and wake up and reflect again. I’m reflecting on everything — what I’m doing and what’s happening where I’m from. Where I’m from is a part of where I’m going.”
Burna says his ultimate goal is “to build a bridge between all Black people in all parts of the world through the music and performance. Music is the number-one messenger.”
He’s already making history at different venues across the globe, most recently in April, when he became the first Nigerian act to headline and sell out NYC’s Madison Square Garden. Burna tells Billboard he’s got big plans for future history-making performances.
“My dream venues, other than all the stadiums in the world, are unorthodox, like a theme park or a f****** train station,” he says. “A concert in a big-a** train station, and there’s no trains and the whole tracks are filled with people. I just want to do weird s*** like that for my own pleasure.”
Today, Burna is set to speak at Billboard’s MusicCon in Las Vegas. He’ll then perform during the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.
Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine, the 2021 documentary about the Canadian power trio Triumph, gets its global streaming premiere via the nugs.net platform tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET. The event will begin with an exclusive live Q&A session with the band’s three members — singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, drummer/singer Gil Moore and bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine.
Levine tells ABC Audio that the Q&A will last about 25-to-30 minutes, and he, Emmett and Moore will be together at Gil’s Metalworks Studios near Toronto, where they’ll answer fan-submitted questions.
“[We’re going to] try and not laugh our way through, ’cause we’re really good at that when the three of us get together,” the 72-year-old rocker says. “We’re gonna try and be serious. I’m not sure it’ll work.”
The movie profiles the Toronto-based rockers’ rise to popularity during the late 1970s and ’80s, the fallout from Emmett’s unexpected split with the group in the late 1980s, and the band’s surprise 2019 reunion performance during a special invite-only event.
Part of the film is dedicated to some longtime Triumph fans who share their backstories as they prepare to attend the event, not knowing the band’s intends to perform.
Levine says he and his band mates were “really ecstatic” about how the movie turned out, noting, “[A]s opposed to just a straight documentary…I think it’s more of a film, myself, because it touches you emotionally. It’ll make you laugh or it’ll make you cry…and documentaries usually don’t do that kind of thing.”
Tickets for the event cost $19.95, and are available at nugs.net/Triumph. Those who purchase tickets can stream the documentary on demand for 48 hours after pressing “play.” On-demand access will be available through May 30.
Luke Combs is once again nearing the top of the country charts, this time with “Doin’ This,” a song that tells his story of doing what he loves for a living.
“At the Grand Ole Opry or a show in some no-name town/ I’d still be doin’ this if I wasn’t doin’ this,” he sings in the chorus.
Even though the song is autobiographical, it’s struck a chord with fans who can relate to Luke’s commitment. “Anybody that’s really passionate about what they do and loves their job, and is doing the thing that they love to do and somehow figured out a way to get paid for it, that is the story,” he reflects.
That isn’t exclusive to people working in the music industry. Others are equally driven to pursue careers as first responders, professional athletes and in so many other fields.
“They would be trying to do that…even if it’s not their job, their job is to make it their job. You know what I mean?” Luke notes. “They’re trying everything they can to get a foot in the door, or find a way to do something that makes them excited to get out of bed every day.”
It’s those people that Luke has to thank for making the song his next big hit. “I think those people have just gravitated to that song, whether they’re in the music industry or not,” he says.
As it creeps up the charts, “Doin’ This” is putting Luke in a familiar spot. If it goes to the top, it’ll be his 13th consecutive solo number-one hit. For those keeping score at home, that’s a record. No other country act has had so many back-to-back chart-topping hits.
Last month, you may have seen a litany of artists including Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, Slash of Guns N’ Roses and Against Me!‘s Laura Jane Grace mourn the breakup of the punk duo Max Creeps. Two days later, Max Creeps announced that they were reuniting, and planned to release a new album.
This would all be very exciting if it weren’t so confusing. Despite a press release describing them as a “seminal band who birthed punk rock,” there’s no evidence that Max Creeps ever existed before their breakup and subsequent reunion announcement.
One idea is that it’s a secret side-project from GN’R’s Duff McKagan, though the Max Creeps members — named Max Blastic and PC Bulls*** — have denied that the band is a “hoax.”
Even if it is all a made-up, no one is telling. Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, who also claims to be a Max Creeps fan, tells ABC Audio that it’s “absolutely insane” no one else has heard of them.
“The fact they broke up caused such brouhaha,” Jericho says. “I was talking to Slash about it, he was despondent, he could barely speak.”
Max Creeps getting back together, Jericho adds, is “bigger than…if Pink Floyd reunited.”
“But a lot of people don’t know it,” Jericho says. “Max Creeps don’t even know it. They don’t even care. And that’s kinda part of what makes them so special, and also what makes them so f***ing disgusting, as well.”
Whatever Max Creeps is or isn’t, you can judge for yourself by listening to the band’s new album, Nein, which is out today. They’ll also launch a tour in June.
“If they show up [at] whatever toilet they’re playing in, I’ll be there with a hazmat suit on,” Jericho says.
Lindsey Buckingham was supposed to launch his first-ever solo tour of Europe in Dublin, Ireland, this Tuesday, May 17, but the former Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist has had to postpone the trek because he recently contracted COVID-19 and hasn’t recorded yet.
A message on Buckingham’s socialmediasites shared the bad news, saying, “It is with great sadness that we are announcing the postponement of Lindsey’s European tour which had been due to begin next week. Along with other members of his band and crew, Lindsey contracted COVID-19 at the end of his latest North American tour, forcing that to end prematurely. Unfortunately he’s still recovering and has no choice but to move the upcoming tour to a later date.”
The note continues, “This is heartbreaking for Lindsey, he was so excited to come to Europe for the first time as a solo artist this spring. We’re currently working on rescheduling the dates and hope to have some news to share on that very soon.”
The 11-date tour had been scheduled to run through a June 2 performance at Denmark’s Heartland Festival 2022.
Late last month, Lindsey announced that the last few shows of his spring 2022 North American tour had to be canceled because of a COVID outbreak in his touring party, which we now know included him.
The canceled concerts included an April 28 show in Tysons, Virginia; and April 30 gig in Louisville, Kentucky; and a May 1 performance at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee.
Buckingham continues to promote his latest solo album, a self-titled collection that was released in July 2021.
Swimmers relax in an underground pool in Helsinki, Finland. All buildings above a certain size in Finland are required by law to have their own bunkers. – ABC News
(HELSINKI) — Finland may be world’s happiest country — at least on the surface. But Helsinki’s “underground city” tells a different story.
Beneath the capital, a massive network of bunkers and tunnels spreads out all across the city. There are than 5,000 bomb shelters in Helsinki — enough to shelter more than the city’s entire population — and more than 50,000 bunkers across the country, according to Helsinki’s Civil Defense Department. All buildings above a certain size are required by law to have their own bunkers.
“There’s a historic sense that you should always be prepared. It might not be this generation or the next generation, but Russia is likely to attack Finland in some way,” said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.
With so much ground going unutilized, the city of Helsinki has converted some of its shelters into spaces for everyday public use. There’s an underground playground, a shelter that doubles as a hockey rink, even an underground swimming pool.
This is what it’s like being Russia’s neighbor. The two countries share an 800-mile border and a long, complicated history.
For decades, Finland opted not to join any military alliance in an effort meant to appease Russia’s security concerns. As a result, Finland had to ensure it could fend for itself. So it’s not just the bunkers; conscription is still mandatory for men, and the country has about 900,000 reservists.
“We have to take care of the citizens, that’s the main reason we have this system,” said Tomi Rask, an instructor with Helsinki’s Civil Defense Department.
But the very scenarios Finland has spent years preparing for are now playing out in Ukraine, where some have been living underground for weeks.
The invasion marked a turning point for Finland-Russia relations. Public support in Finland for joining NATO is skyrocketing from roughly 30% before the war to more than 70% in the weeks after the invasion.
“We have such a horrible neighbor on the east side of Finland. We don’t have any other option than to go to NATO,” said said Finland citizen Kare Vartiainen, who ABC News met making use of the underground pool.
After years of neutrality, on Thursday, Finland’s leaders announced Finland should apply to join NATO “without delay.” Sweden is expected to follow suit.
The country’s accession would more than double Russia’s land border with NATO. It would also expand NATO’s influence in the Arctic and further unify the West, said Salonius-Pasternak. NATO would also grow stronger.
“NATO would now have two more old democratic countries, both with really capable militaries, so that effectively all of northern Europe would now be one region to defend,” he said.
There are those that are still skeptical, like Veronika Honkasalo, one of the few members of Parliament who doesn’t think Finland should join. MPs are expected to take up the issue next week.
“I’m afraid that NATO membership will increase actually the tensions in the Baltic Sea region and also will increase the tensions in Finland, especially regarding the eastern border,” she said.
Russia has already threatened “serious military and political consequences” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, saying it will have to bolster its defenses in the region and that it could decide to place nuclear weapons in the Baltics.
There are concerns about what could happen in the time period after Finland and Sweden submit their applications but before they formally join the alliance. The two countries now hoping to win over security assurances from allies, including the U.S.
On Thursday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to come to Finland and Sweden’s aid if either nation is attacked.
Finns say now is the time to act while Putin is busy with Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is prompting Finland, even with its 50,000 shelters and capable military, to decide it can no longer go it alone. It’s likely giving Putin the very thing he worked so hard to prevent: NATO’s expansion.
“We are a small nation, we need help, we need friends. And from my point of view, maybe NATO is the friend that we need,” said Rask.
