Sam Hunt took fans into his home life with the minute-long family video he posted to social media this week. The clip includes lots of shots of the singer’s extended family and even a few glimpses of his infant daughter, Lucy.
Lucy makes her appearance a little over halfway through the clip, with a shot of an older child cradling her on the couch. “Do you like holding the fish or the baby better?” Sam asks from behind the camera. “The baby,” the little girl replies.
In a second shot, another child is holding baby Lucy, who wears a light-colored onesie, blanket and matching bow for the occasion.
It’s adorable, kid-filled chaos for the country star and his family and marks the first time fans have seen Lucy since she was born a few weeks ago. Sam and his wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, have been relatively private about the new addition to their family on social media, but Sam announced the birth of his baby girl at a show in early June.
Sam’s marriage went through a tumultuous time leading up to the birth of his daughter: Hannah Lee filed for divorce back in February, citing “inappropriate marital conduct” and “adultery.” Just weeks before Lucy’s birth, the couple seemed to reconcile, and Hannah called off divorce proceedings.
Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles are doing very well back home in Merrie Olde England.
Ed’s album = (Equals) is the biggest-selling album of the year so far in the U.K., while Harry’s single “As It Was” is the year’s biggest-selling single, according to Britain’s Official Charts Company.
Equals has sold 256,000 units so far this year; since its release in October, it’s sold 689,000 copies in total. It’s also the most downloaded and streamed album of the year. Harry’s album Harry’s House is the second biggest album of 2022 in the U.K., with sales of 244,000, which means it could end up passing Ed in the near future. Olivia Rodrigo‘s album SOUR is #3, and Adele‘s 30 is #4.
On the singles side, Harry’s monster hit “As It Was” is the year’s top-selling single, having racked up sales of more than 855,000 units while spending 10 weeks at #1 on the British charts.
But in a mirror image of the album chart, Ed’s at #2 with “Peru,” his single with Afrobeats singer Fireboy DML. Ed also has the #4 and #6 biggest-selling songs of the year with “Bad Habits” and “Shivers,” respectively. Encanto‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is #3.
Imagine Dragons is bringing the “Thunder” to the RIAA record books.
The band’s 2017 hit has gone Diamond in recognition of 10 million units certified. “Thunder” joins “Radioactive,” “Believer” and “Demons” as the fourth ID single to achieve that feat, making Imagine Dragons the first band with four Diamond-certified singles.
“Thunder” is included on Imagine Dragons’ 2017 album, Evolve. Its video has over 1 billion views on YouTube.
Imagine Dragons has already been having a big week with the release of the new album Mercury — Acts 1 & 2 last Friday. The double record combines last September’s Mercury — Act 1 with 18 more new songs, including the single “Bones.”
Following their current run through Europe, Imagine Dragons will return to the U.S. for a headlining tour beginning in August.
Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson had a little throwback fun during a Thor: Love and Thunder press day Wednesday by channeling, respectively, Clueless characters Cher Horowitz and Dionne Davenport.
Portman perfectly matched Alicia Silverstone‘s character with a yellow plaid Dior miniskirt and matching blazer, over a black crop top and black Doc Martens boots; Thompson wore a black pleated dress and matching black stockings, her long hair braided like Dionne’s in the 1995 film.
“Having a clueless…moment…” Portman captioned an Instagram post, earning a comment and a repost from Cher herself, Silverstone. “Stunning. You both look amazing,” she gushed.
In the Thor sequel, Portman reprises as Dr. Jane Foster, who in this film gets to become Mighty Thor. Not all of her transformation was via special effects, her co-stars joked. “Some weightlifting?!” Chris Hemsworth joked at a recent press event. “Natalie led the charge in the gym, and [we] tried to keep up with her.”
Portman called the compliment “very sweet,” noting, “I was especially grateful to everyone’s imagination to cast a 5-foot-3 actor in a 6-foot role. I think that takes a real leap of possibility in your mind, and probably not something I will, you know, get the opportunity to do to be imagined as by any other group.”
Thompson’s Valkyrie goes through some changes herself, from a warrior to the King of Asgard — and all the meetings that entails. “She … was a professional soldier for thousands of years and now finds herself kind of stuck in bureaucracy. So she’s really missing being on the battlefield and missing her sisters. And so it’s been great fun to get to have that again with Natalie in particular as Mighty Thor.”
Thor: Love and Thunder opens Friday from Marvel Studios, a division of ABC News.
Jenifer Lewis, Black cinema’s favorite auntie — or mom, depending on the role — will soon be getting her flowers from Hollywood as the 65-year-old actress is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The dedication ceremony of the 2,726th star will take place Friday, July 15, at 11:30 a.m. PT, with special guest speakers Debbie Allen and Marc Shaiman. The ceremony will be streamed live on Walkoffame.com.
“Jenifer Lewis is considered a national treasure and a force to be reckoned with,” Ana Martinez, Hollywood Walk of Fame producer, said. “She is one of those performers who always keeps the audience on their toes! I placed Jenifer’s star next to one of her all-time favorite actresses, the legendary Katharine Hepburn. Those ladies are two peas in a pod, as both delved in human rights activities and are known to be as feisty as all get out!”
Over the course of her decades-long entertainment career, Lewis has appeared and starred in more than 400 episodic television shows, 68 movies, 40 animations and four Broadway shows. Some of her most notable credits includes The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, A Different World, Girlfriends, Think Like a Man, The Cookout, Baggage Claim and Five.
Lewis has been recognized for her philanthropic and charitable contributions, including most recently by The International Press Academy in April. She received the 2022 Honorary Satellite Award for her work withThe Human Rights Campaign, The Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Coalition for At-Risk Youth, The Urban League and others.
Following her bestselling 2017 memoir, The Mother of Black Hollywood, Lewis’ follow up book, Walking in My Joy: In These Streets, is set for release on August 30.
(NEW YORK) — A jury has convicted former Theranos president Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of defrauding investors and patients in connection with his multi-billion-dollar blood-testing startup.
Balwani, on Thursday, was found guilty on all 12 counts of fraud, for a scheme prosecutors alleged and have now proved he orchestrated alongside his former romantic partner and Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes.
Balwani faced 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Holmes, who faced the same charges as Balwani, was convicted on four counts of fraud in January and awaits sentencing in September.
While Holmes was only convicted on counts related to investors, a jury found Balwani also defrauded patients.
The feds originally charged Balwani and Holmes together. But their trials were later severed after Holmes revealed she may testify to abuse at the hands of Balwani.
Prosecutors said Balwani and Holmes, who touted her startup’s technology as capable of accurately and reliably running any blood test, fraudulently raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors.
Money poured in, but the miniature blood-testing device, dubbed the “Edison,” could never run more than 12 tests, government attorneys said.
Balwani joined the company in 2009, guaranteeing a $10 million loan and quickly rising to the post of president and COO of Theranos. While his attorneys sought to distinguish his position in the company from the CEO, Holmes, prosecutors say he played an equal role in the fraud.
“I am responsible for everything at Theranos. All have been my decisions too,” read a text message from Balwani to Holmes in July 2015, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Schenk presented to the jury in his final argument.
“Of course [Balwani] had a hand in making the decisions at Theranos,” defense attorney Jeff Coopersmith said during his closing argument.
But, Coopersmith, said in meetings with investors and others, “everyone was listening to Elizabeth Holmes.” The company was her vision, he added, and Balwani had bought in.
“Mr. Balwani is not a victim. He’s a perpetrator of the fraud,” the prosecutor, Schenk, said to wrap up his remarks.
Wayne Kaatz, a juror on the Holmes case, told ABC News in an exclusive interview earlier this year that his group of 12 jurors convicted Holmes, in part, because “everything went through her,” he said. “She had final approval.”
He also revealed his team found Holmes’ testimony largely not credible. Balwani, in his trial, did not take the stand.
Wayne Kaatz, a juror on the Holmes case, told ABC News in an exclusive interview earlier this year that his group of 12 jurors convicted Holmes, in part, because “everything went through her,” he said. “She had final approval.”
He also revealed his team found Holmes’ testimony largely not credible. Balwani, in his trial, did not take the stand.
J-Hope of BTS is gearing up for the launch of his solo career. To further hype up fans for his upcoming debut album, he released the entire track list for Jack in the Box.
The album, which arrives July 15, will have 10 songs. J-Hope further revealed that the previously released song “More,” as well as the album’s final track, “Arson,” are the “main tracks that act as anchors in this album, conveying the core message that penetrates the whole album,” per a press release.
His label, HYBE, explained further of the first track, “‘MORE’ is an old-school hip-hop track that sings J-Hope’s flame-like aspirations and pure passion to get out there and show the world there is much more to him.”
As for “Arson,” the song embodies the singer “encountering the world outside the box and standing at the crossroads agonizing which path he should take.”
In order, the album’s track list goes: “Intro,” “Pandora’s Box,” “MORE,” “STOP,” “Equal Sign,” “Music Box: Reflection,” “What if…,” “Safety Zone,” “Future” and “Arson.”
Jack in the Box will be available to stream and purchase across all platforms starting July 15.
BTS is currently on break as the group explores solo careers. It is not known when they will reassemble as a septet, but all of them have promised that the hiatus is only temporary.
The xx‘s Oliver Sim has released a new solo song called “GMT.”
The track finds Sim “pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones.” It was recorded in collaboration with his xx bandmate Jaime xx and samples “Smile” by The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson.
“I’d chased [Jaime] to Australia to escape the British winter,” Sim shares. “We worked in Sydney and road tripped down to Byron Bay, stopping at secluded beaches and listening to a lot of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson on the way.”
You can listen to “GMT” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
“GMT” will appear on Sim’s upcoming debut solo album Hideous Bastard, due out September 9. It also includes the previously released songs “Romance with a Memory,” “Hideous” and “Fruit.”
Harry Styles, Adele, Goo Goo Dolls, Gavin Degraw and Sara Bareilles are now the proud owners of more RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum hits.
The agency noted that only three albums and 13 singles released this year have achieved Gold and Platinum status — and among the handful of acts is Harry’s “As It Was. In a press release, RIAA dubbed it the top digital single of 2022 after selling over two million copies, thus earning double Platinum status. It also should be noted that his 2019 hit “Lights Up” is also two times Platinum now.
Two Adele songs from her 30 album obtained multi-Platinum status with “Oh My God” selling a million copies, while “Easy On Me” went three-times Platinum.
Goo Goo Dolls are celebrating 10 of their songs earning Gold and Platinum status in this latest roundup. Four songs of theirs — “Here Is Gone,” “Come To Me,” “Sympathy” and “Let Love In” — are Gold, with sales of over half a million copies. “Iris” remains their best-selling single, now certified for sales of seven million copies, while their 1998 album, Dizzy Up The Girl,is now five-times Platinum.
The group’s single “Name” sold over two million copies, while “Better Days,” “Black Balloon” and “Slide” have all achieved Platinum status.
Meanwhile, Gavin DeGraw’s 2011 hit “Not Over You” is now certified four-times Platinum.
And just in time for the 15th anniversary of her debut album Little Voice, which is officially twice Platinum, Sara found out her breakout hit “Love Song” has been certified six-times Platinum, while her single “Gravity” is double Platinum.
RIAA awards are determined based on a song or album’s sales as well as the amount of on-demand streams in the U.S.
Journey was forced to postpone the last four concerts of their spring North American tour because an unspecified member of the group tested positive for COVID-19, and now those dates have been rescheduled for March 2023.
The concerts, which were to have taken place on May 10 in Washington, D.C.; May 11 in Hartford, Connecticut; May 13 in Toronto; and May 16, in Quebec City, Canada, are now scheduled for next year on March 1, March 4, March 12 and March 9, respectively.
Toto, who served as Journey’s support act for the band’s entire spring 2022 tour leg, will also open those four 2023 shows. Heart‘s Ann Wilson had been announced as the opening act for the Toronto and Quebec City concerts before they were postponed.
As previously reported, Journey will release a new studio album titled Freedom on Friday, July 8.
The band also has a dozen upcoming 2022 concerts scheduled, including four special symphonic shows in Las Vegas — on July 15, 16, 22 and 23. Visit JourneyMusic.com for more info on the group’s tour schedule.
