After breaking out on TikTok, Emmy Meli’s song “I Am Woman” is climbing the radio chart. Back in 1972, there was a number one hit called “I Am Woman” by the late Australian singer Helen Reddy. It became an anthem for the women’s movement and has earned a permanent place in pop culture — it even inspired Katy Perry‘s hit “Roar.” So, was Emmy equally inspired by Reddy’s song? Well, no.
“I’m actually ashamed to say that at first, I didn’t know what people were talking about,” Emmy admits to ABC Audio. “I had no idea that that was a song, and then once I went back and listened to it, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I feel like I might have heard this song before, like, maybe in a movie.’ Or it sounded familiar, for sure.”
The point is that when Emmy wrote “I Am Woman,” which has a similar message of female empowerment, she really wasn’t aware that there was another song with that title and theme…until people started pointing it out.
“At first, people were like ‘Nice cover of the song by Helen Reddy,’ and I was like, ‘Wait, who’s Helen Reddy?'” she laughs. “And I felt kind of dumb, because I love oldies and I love older music, and I grew up listening to lots of ’50s and ’60s music and funk and Motown and a lot of older artists.”
“I kind of was like, ‘How did I not know who Helen Reddy is?”’ she laughs. “I was embarrassed that I didn’t know!”
A few days ago, Emmy released a video for “I Am Woman” billed as Emmy Meli & Friends. It features women of all races, from all walks of life, illustrating the song’s message.
K. Michelle is starring on Lifetime twice this week…in a dramatic film and in a docuseries that she hopes will save lives.
The docuseries, My Killer Body with K. Michelle, premieres on Thursday, February 3, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The Love & Hip Hop star is also featured in the movie Single Black Female, which airs Saturday, February 5, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
My Killer Body tells her painful story of several years of enduring near-fatal plastic surgeries, and she hopes the series will help prevent others from similar suffering. The NAACP Image Award winner says she decided to get silicone-filled injections into her buttocks more than six years ago, because she believed it would enhance her music career.
“I had just got a new record deal and I felt like the bigger the butt, the bigger the career,” Michelle tells Essence. “I already had a big butt. It was just ridiculous.”
The “V.S.O.P.” singer recalls that the injections almost killed her. After undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries, she now says she’s “probably the healthiest I’ve been in a while.”
“There are several people who’ve gone through this who are just starting to feel the effects of it,” Michelle says about the individuals who are also featured on the series. “You even have women who recently had this procedure and are feeling the effects right away.”
The 39-year-old entertainer warns people to be aware of the consequences when considering cosmetic surgery.
“Just like you research when you want to buy a car, you should definitely research what you’re going to do with your life and your body because you only get one,” Michelle says.
Since Celine Dion delayed her new Las Vegas residency due to a medical problem, we’re not sure when the singer will launch the engagement, but she is expected to grace our movie screens sometime this year in her first film role. And according to one of her co-stars, the Canadian superstar knocked it out of the park.
The movie, a romantic comedy called Text for You, stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a woman who copes with the death of her fiancé by sending text messages to his old cellphone number. It’s now been assigned to another guy, played by Outlander‘s Sam Heughan, who is also bereaved. It’s reportedly Céline’s music that gives both characters the courage to find love again.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, Priyanka says, excitedly, “It’s Céline Dion’s acting debut and it will be in my movie! She’s so funny. And she’s an amazing actress.” Priyanka knows a thing or two about singers who act, since her husband is Nick Jonas.
“She definitely needs to do more of this,” adds Priyanka of Céline.
Meanwhile, the movie Aline, which was loosely inspired by Céline’s life and features her music — though not her original recordings — opens in the U.S. on April 8. The movie has faced criticism from Céline’s family over its supposed inaccuracies, and its portrayal of their family as a bunch of scam artists.
One of Brothers Osborne‘s first big hits was their 2016 single “21 Summer.” It was based on a real-life breakup that singer TJ Osborne experienced, but he couldn’t talk about the personal story behind the song: He hadn’t yet come out as gay.
“No one knew that I was in a relationship and no one knew that I just got broke up with,” he reflects. “And I had a lot of inner turmoil and I was bitter that I couldn’t talk to anyone.”
But one year ago, in February 2021, TJ finally shared his story: He came out in an expansive TIME feature, becoming the first openly gay country artist signed to a major label.
TJ and his brother and band mate, John Osborne, worried about what the response would be, but TJ says the reaction to his song was overwhelmingly positive: Not just within the industry, but also from fans they met at their shows when they went back out on tour.
“Seeing that people were there to love and support me, it was incredibly inspiring,” he notes. “It was very refreshing and encouraging to see, [not just] from a personal place, but just to see humanity be that way. It was one of the highlights of going back out on tour.”
And playing “21 Summer” live feels more meaningful now, too.
“To finally be able to play it and talk about that — there’s probably more depth to that song than people even realize,” TJ notes. “To be able to talk about that now, it feels like the shackles are off.”
Brothers Osborne released the deluxe version of their 2020 album Skeletons this year. The duo opened up about that album, and the personal battles they’ve faced together and individually, in a recent episode of ABC’s Nightline.
Back in November, Journey announced plans for a lengthy U.S. trek this year dubbed the Freedom Tour 2022 featuring Billy Idol and Toto opening the first and second respective portions of the outing, but now comes word that Idol has dropped off the tour for health reasons.
Instead, Toto now will be the support act for Journey’s entire trek, which kicks off on February 22 in Pittsburgh and is mapped out through a May 11 show in Hartford, Connecticut.
Idol’s departure from Journey’s Freedom Tour is due to a chronic sinus infection that will require surgery in the coming days.
“The last thing I ever want to do is cancel shows and I am absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to perform the upcoming dates with Journey as planned,” Idol says in a statement. “I wish Journey only the best on their tour and give thanks to TOTO for stepping in for me.”
The trek features a total of 40 concerts, including two newly added dates that are scheduled for March 4 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and on March 6 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Tickets for the two shows will go on sale to the public on Monday, February 7, at 10 a.m. ET. In addition, pre-sale tickets will be available via Ticketmaster starting today, February 3, at 10 a.m. ET. Visit JourneyMusic.com for more information.
Toto originally had been slated to join Journey’s tour in April, and had lined up a U.S. headlining trek that was to have run from February 25 through March 19, but now their own outing has been postponed until a later date.
A note on Toto’s official website advises that tickets purchased for the band’s headlining shows will be honored when the dates are rescheduled. Details about those shows will be announced soon.
Adrien Brody says his new ultra-violent action thriller, Clean, isn’t afraid to tackle the hot-button issues of today — because that’s exactly the kind of movie he loved watching as a kid.
Speaking with ABC Audio, the 48-year-old actor explained he wanted to make a “action revenge story” that is more than just about a man beating people up and spilling blood. “I was looking to find a way to bring a film that speaks to issues that exist around us, that we can’t really ignore, that that justify the rage and sense of failure within many individuals,” says Brody. “Clean represents that.”
The Oscar winner plays the title role of Clean, and said his character will serve as a catalyst for the audience’s emotional experience. “He embodies this collective sense of failure and of anger and frustration with our powerlessness against what’s coming around us,” said Brody.
Brody adds his film honors a genre in movies he’s not only drawn to, but sorely misses seeing in theaters.
“In its core it’s an action revenge story. And when I used to hang out with my boys and we go to the movie theater and we’d hang out and we’d just revel in these kinds of movies,” he explained. “And a degree of that is feels lost today.”
So, is Clean the modern Dirty Harry or Death Wish? Brody only says the movie shares his “love for a style of filmmaking from the 70s, and filmmakers and writers that I really admired.”
Clean, also starring Glenn Fleshler, Michelle Wilson and Richie Merritt, is now in theaters and available on demand.
Oscar nominations are right around the corner, and Tom Holland recently weighed in on the possibility of Spider-Man: No Way Home getting a best picture nod.
“It would be a huge honor for it to be nominated for an Oscar,” the 25-year-old actor told Variety while promoting his upcoming action adventure film, Uncharted, but said he’d also be fine if it didn’t.
“I think I can speak on behalf of everyone at Marvel and Sony and particularly [director] Jon Watts, the fan reaction that we’ve received — the love and support — is enough.”
“We have created something that has been such a culturally enriching experience for so many people, that watching those fan reactions to when Andrew [Garfield] comes through and Tobey [Maguire] comes through and Andrew saves Zendaya, I will never be able to live that down,” he continued. “That is just incredible. And for me, to be able to share that with the world is enough.”
As for another Spider-Man reunion, Holland isn’t ruling anything out.
“Could it happen? Of course it could happen. We’ve done it once before. Will it happen? I don’t know,” he says.
Nominees for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced February 8.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 106, Philadelphia 103
Orlando 119, Indiana 118
Boston 113, Charlotte 107
Memphis 120, New York 108
Houston 115, Cleveland 104
Oklahoma City 120 Dallas 114 (OT)
Sacramento 112, Brooklyn 101
Utah 108, Denver 104
LA Lakers 99, Portland 94
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Seattle 3, NY Islanders 0
Edmonton 5, Washington 3
Los Angeles 5, Detroit 3
Calgary 4, Arizona 2
Minnesota 5, Chicago 0
(WASHINGTON) — The persons of interest were connected to spoofed calls – emanating from a fake telephone number, the FBI official said, according to the source familiar with the contents of a call between FBI and DHS officials and state and local law enforcement on Tuesday.
No bombs have been found.
During the call, the federal officials went into more detail about the nature of the bomb threats, which started in early January, and the most recent, which occurred Monday against HBCUs and other universities, according to the source.
In the past few days, the FBI reported over 20 bomb threats to HBCU’s and other institutions — from Howard University in Washington, D.C. to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.
Several of the schools canceled classes amid concerns about the threats.
The FBI on Wednesday said it is investigating the bomb threats to predominantly HBCUs as hate crimes, according to a statement released by the Bureau.
“Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats,” the statement says.
They FBI says investigation is being coordinated with 20 FBI field offices and is the “highest priority” for the Bureau.
The first threat against the HBCUs came against Xavier University of Louisiana on Jan. 4, and according to the FBI official briefing state and local law enforcement, it was racially motivated.
Following that threat in early January, two Black churches were also targeted with bomb threats – none came to fruition.
There were also three bomb threats against Jewish facilities on the last day in January, but officials aren’t clear if those are connected, according to a source briefed on the contents of the law enforcement call.
(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — The suspect in a shooting on a Virginia college campus that left two officers dead was a former student at the institution, according to court documents.
Andrew Wyatt Campbell, 27, faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of capital murder, in connection with Tuesday’s shooting at Bridgewater College.
A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were fatally shot after responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller told reporters Tuesday.
Geller did not elaborate on any connections between the alleged shooter and the small, private liberal arts college. However, in court records obtained by Harrisonburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WHSV, authorities noted that Campbell had dropped out of Bridgewater College.
Bridgewater College confirmed with WHSV that Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia, was once a member of the college’s track and field and cross country teams. He attended the school from 2013 to 2017, a school spokesperson told The Associated Press.
In 2017, Campbell was charged with trespassing for entering the campus’ Kline Campus Center, the school’s main dining hall, “after being banned,” an arrest warrant at the time stated.
Several college employees called 911 Tuesday after seeing the suspect in and around the college’s Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” Geller told reporters.
Campbell was charged with two felony counts of capital murder, one felony count of first-degree murder, one felony count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and aggravated felony murder of more than one person within three years in connection with the shooting, court records show. He is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.
The suspect made his first court appearance Wednesday via video conference for an arraignment in Harrisonburg/Rockingham General District Court. His attorney requested that Campbell undergo a mental health evaluation, WHSV reported. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.
Police are investigating a motive in the shooting, which killed Bridgewater College Campus Police Officer John Painter, 55, and Campus Safety Officer Vashon “JJ” Jefferson, 48.
Painter joined the department in May 2019 after retiring as chief of the Grottoes Police Department in Virginia, and Jefferson joined in August 2018.
The two were close friends and known to many as the “dynamic duo,” according to Bridgewater College President David Bushman.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered that flags in the state be flown at half-staff Wednesday “in respect and memory of the officers lost.”
In the wake of the tragedy, Bridgewater canceled classes for the remainder of the week and gathered to sing the school’s alma mater Wednesday.
Bushman told ABC News’ Pierre Thomas in an interview Wednesday that the tight-knit campus community is suffering an “unspeakable” loss.
“We’ve navigated a pandemic together and it’s almost like you’re getting back to normal. And then it’s just, it’s unimaginable,” Bushman said.
“In so many ways this hurts so deeply because we are a tight community, but that’s also our greatest strength,” he said. “And that’s why I know we know we will grieve together and will heal.”
The officers were “always together” and on a first-name basis with students, the president said.
Bridgewater College sophomore Jack Cataneo, 20, told ABC News the incident feels “like a bad dream.”
“It really makes you think because it could happen to anybody,” he said.
ABC News’ Quinn Owen, Sarah Shales and Ben Stein contributed to this report.
