Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski tease a “very emotional” new season of ‘Queer Eye’: “Tan cried! Tan’s never cried”

Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski tease a “very emotional” new season of ‘Queer Eye’: “Tan cried! Tan’s never cried”
Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski tease a “very emotional” new season of ‘Queer Eye’: “Tan cried! Tan’s never cried”
Cr. RYAN COLLERD/NETFLIX © 2020

Queer Eye‘s sixth season kicks off Friday, when the Fab 5 heads to to Texas for what star Bobby Berk says is one of the best seasons ever.

“This season was very emotional, and I know that every season’s emotional, but this one’s more,” the interior designer explained.  “Tan cried! Tan’s never cried.  If you look back on every single episode we’ve ever done, almost 70 of them, Tan has never cried.”

Bobby said it was a jarring moment for everyone because, “All of a sudden, behind me, I start hearing this awkward, weird whimper and I look back and it’s Tan crying. And we were all taken out of the moment because we’ve never seen Tan be emotional before.”  

Bobby says the upcoming season is a fresh start for the Fab 5 because the pandemic shut down production, allowing them time to relax and reflect after churning out five seasons since 2018.

“We were very burnt out.  We were very exhausted,” Berk admits, saying he’d look back at older episodes and “see a lot of us on autopilot.”  The time off, he says, allowed everyone to “reevaluate the things that are important… And it really re-energized us to get out there and help people.”

He says season six feels like season one “because we…had our hearts back in it.” 

Food expert Antoni Porowski added, “We all really missed each other” during the production shutdown, so when everyone came back, “It was like, ‘Let’s go!'”

Aside from great stories and great heroes, Antoni adds this season sends “love to small businesses” and those deeply affected by the pandemic, as well as the “really crazy storms” that tore through Texas “just two weeks before we arrived.” 

Queer Eye premieres Friday on Netflix.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New Carole King & James Taylor documentary premiering this Sunday

New Carole King & James Taylor documentary premiering this Sunday
New Carole King & James Taylor documentary premiering this Sunday
CNN Films

The recently announced documentary Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name, which focuses on the friendship and musical collaboration between the two lauded singer/songwriters, premieres on CNN this Sunday, January 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The documentary takes as its starting point the concert that Carole King and James Taylor did in 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the famous Los Angeles-area club The Troubadour, where they’d first played together in 1970. The ’07 show, which featured them performing songs like “You’ve Got a Friend,” led to a 2010 arena tour.

The film documents the tour and also features new interviews with King and Taylor, as well as with the now-legendary session musicians who played with them in 1970, 2007 and 2010, including guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bass player Lee Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel.

In a preview clip featuring an interview segment with King and Taylor, Carole tells James, “When we first met and we sat down to play…it was like we had played together our entire lives. We had a musical language in common, and we had listened to a lot of the same things.”

Taylor responds, “I think that you and I probably just had the same musical DNA, musical sources who are probably the same…Of course, a lot of what I had been listening to was you.”

Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name was directed and produced by Frank Marshall, who also directed HBO’s acclaimed Bee Gees documentary How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and produced Hulu’s McCartney 3, 2, 1 docuseries.

Besides airing on CNN, the film will be livestreamed via CNN’s various apps, and then will be available on demand from January 3 through January 9.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Criminal charges possible for man attacked by tiger after reaching into enclosure at Florida zoo

Criminal charges possible for man attacked by tiger after reaching into enclosure at Florida zoo
Criminal charges possible for man attacked by tiger after reaching into enclosure at Florida zoo
WZVN-TV

(NAPLES, Fla.) — A maintenance worker who entered an unauthorized area of a Florida zoo and was attacked by a tiger could face criminal charges, authorities said. The tiger was shot and killed by responding authorities in order to free the man from the animal’s jaws.

The incident happened Wednesday at the Naples Zoo after it had closed to the public, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said.

A member of a cleaning service contracted by the zoo to clean restrooms and the gift shop, but not the animal enclosures, had “entered an unauthorized area near a tiger that was inside its enclosure,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The man, identified by authorities as 26-year-old River Rosenquist of Naples, was possibly petting or feeding a male Malayan tiger, “both of which are unauthorized and dangerous activities,” when the attack occurred, the sheriff’s office said.

“Initial reports indicate that the tiger grabbed the man’s arm and pulled it into the enclosure after the man traversed an initial fence barrier and put his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure,” the office said.

Rosenquist called 911 to request help, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy responded to the zoo around 6:30 p.m. and found the man with his arm in the tiger’s mouth. The deputy kicked the enclosure in an attempt to get the tiger to release the arm, but was “forced” to shoot the animal, authorities said.

“Our deputy did everything he could do in that situation and he ultimately made the only possible decision he could in order to save this man’s life,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement Thursday. “This was a tragic encounter at our world-class zoo facility. We value our community partnership with the Naples Zoo and their focus on conservation and education.”

The cleaner suffered serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital, authorities said. Lee Memorial Hospital Emergency Department confirmed to ABC News it had received a patient via medical helicopter from Naples with injuries related to a tiger attack.

The Malayan tiger, which is a critically endangered species, was killed in the shooting, according to a spokesperson for the zoo. The animal retreated to the back of the enclosure after it was shot and a drone that authorities flew inside showed it was unresponsive.

A veterinarian sedated the animal and examined it “when it [was] safe to do so,” and determined the tiger had died, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said Thursday it is working with state and federal prosecutors to investigate the “serious encounter” and determine whether criminal charges will be filed against Rosenquist.

The zoo will be conducting its own investigation, officials said.

The 8-year-old tiger, who the zoo confirmed was named Eko, came to the Naples Zoo from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in December 2019 and was introduced in February 2020. “Eko is a great ambassador for his species. When guests see him, we hope they fall in love and want to learn how they can do their part to save his cousins in the wild,” the zoo says on its website.

The zoo was closed Thursday and will reopen on Friday, according to its website. A conservation fund will be set up in Eko’s honor, zoo officials said.

“[We] thank our community for their understanding and for the messages and words of encouragement and support that have been flowing into us,” the zoo said in a statement.

ABC News’ Ben Stein contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A week of travel woes: More than 8,000 flights canceled since Christmas Eve

A week of travel woes: More than 8,000 flights canceled since Christmas Eve
A week of travel woes: More than 8,000 flights canceled since Christmas Eve
Radoslav Zilinsky/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Thursday marks a week of travel woes across the country with more than 8,000 flight cancellations nationwide since Christmas Eve. As millions of Americans travel during what could be the busiest travel period since the start of the pandemic, airlines have been slammed with both winter weather and rising COVID-19 cases among flight crews.

Now, at least one major U.S. airline, JetBlue Airways, is signaling this weeklong crush of cancellations may just be the beginning.

JetBlue said on Wednesday it is preemptively canceling more than 1,200 flights over the next two weeks in order to have enough crews available to run a reliable operation.

“While the new CDC guidelines should help get crewmembers back to work sooner, and our schedule reduction and other efforts will further ease day-of cancellations, we expect the number of COVID cases in the northeast — where most of our crewmembers are based — to continue to surge for the next week or two,” the airline said in a statement. “This means there is a high likelihood of additional cancellations until case counts start to come down.”

On Thursday, more than 1,100 flights were canceled in the U.S. as of 2:30 p.m. ET.

Seattle Tacoma International has been impacted the most, holding the top spot for the most cancellations in the world for a third day in a row with nearly a third of all flights grounded. The airport added, “Staffing issues may bring further delays in operations.”

Alaska Airlines, whose main hub is in Seattle, is reporting call hold times of more than 10 to 20 hours.

“We strongly urge flyers with non-essential travel scheduled before January 2, 2022, to consider changing their travel to a later date using our flexible travel policy,” the airline said in a statement Wednesday.

The disruptions come as airports brace for the more than 10.5 million fliers estimated to fly from now until Jan. 3. The busiest New Year travel days are still ahead with Hopper forecasting 2.5 million could fly on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.

Delta Air Lines is already projecting 200 to 300 daily cancellations for the upcoming weekend as “teams across [their] system continue to do all possible to mitigate constraints from increasing winter weather and the omicron variant.”

Experts say the COVID-19-related cancellations should be a reminder to holiday fliers to protect yourself as much as you can during travel.

“These cancellations are reasons why it’s important for people to wear the masks, wash their hands frequently and reduce movement around the cabin when you’re on a plane,” aviation expert Henry Harteveldt said. “It’s just really important. All of these are part of layers of safety to keep everyone as healthy as possible while traveling for the holiday.”

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

“You brought the baby back!” Do Timbaland & Timberlake have a new collab?

“You brought the baby back!” Do Timbaland & Timberlake have a new collab?
“You brought the baby back!” Do Timbaland & Timberlake have a new collab?
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

Longtime collaborators Justin Timberlake and Timbaland may be working on something new, based on footage that Timbo posted on Instagram showing himself vibing in the studio with JT and JT’s pal, Ant Clemons.

The video shows them listening to a song in the studio, and notably, the track features sound effects of a baby cooing — which Tim famously used on Aaliyah‘s smash hit, “Are You That Somebody?”

Clemons, who performed with JT on the post-Biden inauguration Celebrating America concert, is shown screaming delightedly while listening to the track and then exclaiming, “You brought the baby back! You should put the baby on this! And Lil Baby!”

“And DaBaby!” JT responds. “And MY baby!” — presumably referring to Phineas, Justin and his wife Jessica Biel‘s one-and-a-half-year-old son.

Timbaland captioned the video, “Soon to come” with a bunch of suspicious eye and explosion emojis.

Billboard reports that Timbo and JT worked together on earlier this year on a track on Justine Skye’s album, Space and Time.  Tim also worked on JT’s most recent album. Man of the Woods.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Timbo the King (@timbaland)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dirty Honey to perform Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” ahead of NHL Winter Classic

Dirty Honey to perform Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” ahead of NHL Winter Classic
Dirty Honey to perform Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” ahead of NHL Winter Classic
Courtesy of TNT

ow we know what “Crazy” thing Dirty Honey was teasing.

Earlier this week, the “When I’m Gone” rockers posted a clip of Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Crazy Train” alongside a mysterious video featuring only the letter C. They then followed that up with more clips of songs featuring the word “Crazy” in the title — Heart‘s “Crazy on You,” Patsy Cline‘s “Crazy” and Gnarls Barkley‘s “Crazy” — alongside the letters R, A an Z, clearly spelling out “Crazy.”

Theories regarding why ranged from a possible covers collection to a new, original Dirty Honey song called “Crazy.” Well, the real answer is that Dirty Honey will be playing a cover of Prince‘s “Let’s Go Crazy” ahead of the NHL’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues, taking place in the late Purple One’s hometown of Minneapolis on New Year’s Day.

Dirty Honey’s performance, which was filmed atop a frozen Minnesota lake, will air as part of TNT’s pre-game coverage, beginning 6 p.m. ET. You’ll also be able to download a studio version of the cover on January 1.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ezra Koenig shares update on next Vampire Weekend album: “We’re feeling really good about the new material”

Ezra Koenig shares update on next Vampire Weekend album: “We’re feeling really good about the new material”
Ezra Koenig shares update on next Vampire Weekend album: “We’re feeling really good about the new material”
Steve Jennings/WireImage

Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig has shared an update on the status of the band’s next album.

Speaking with Mark Hoppus on the Blink-182 bassist’s After School Radio show on Apple Music Hits, Koenig reveals that he and his band mates “almost have an album’s worth of songs” in the works.

“You could tinker with a song forever; change the arrangement, change the lyrics, whatever,” Koenig says. “But in that sense we’re close.”

“I have no idea how long it’ll take to finish, but we’re feeling really good about the new material,” he adds.  “So yeah, a lot of studio time to come after the holidays.”

Vampire Weekend’s most recent album is 2019’s Father of the Bride, which spawned the singles “Harmony Hall” and “This Life.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Year in Music 2021: Charlie Watts, Dusty Hill, Mike Nesmith among the music greats we lost

The Year in Music 2021: Charlie Watts, Dusty Hill, Mike Nesmith among the music greats we lost
The Year in Music 2021: Charlie Watts, Dusty Hill, Mike Nesmith among the music greats we lost
Jim Dyson/Getty Images; Phillip Massey/Getty Images; Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The music world said goodbye to many influential and beloved artists in 2021, including two Rock & Roll Hall Fame inductees who both spent more than a half century with their respective bands, and a singer and songwriter who came to fame as the member of a pop-rock group created for a 1960s TV show.

On August 24, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the age of 80. Watts played his first show with the band in February 1963 and went on to keep the beat for the British rock legends for more than 58 years. Shortly before his death, it was announced that Watts had undergone a medical procedure that would likely force him to miss the Stones planned 2021 U.S. tour. Veteran session drummer Steve Jordan was handpicked by Charlie to step in for him on the trek.

Less than a month before Watts’ death, on July 28, ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill passed away at his home in Houston at age 72. Hill joined the legendary Texas trio in 1970, shortly after the band’s formation. At the time of his death, Hill was forced to take a break from the band’s 50th anniversary tour to attend to a medical issue with his hip. ZZ Top’s longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, had been tapped to fill in for Dusty, and he’s has continued to play bass with the group.

On December 10, Michael Nesmith of The Monkees died of natural causes at age 78. Just a few weeks earlier, Nesmith had completed a farewell Monkees tour with the only other surviving member of the group, Micky Dolenz. Created as a fictional group for the hugely popular comedy series The Monkees, the band members wound up eventually contributing some original songs and playing instruments on some of their recordings. Both in and outside of The Monkees, Nesmith established himself as a respected artist who pioneered the country-rock genre.

Here’s a list many of the music figures who died in 2021, in chronological order:

Gerry Marsden — January 3 — Frontman of popular Liverpool, U.K., band Gerry and the Pacemakers. Died of a heart infection at age 78.

Michael Fonfara — January 8 — Keyboardist for The Electric Flag and Rhinoceros, also played on many Lou Reed albums. Died after a long battle with cancer at age 74.

Sylvain Sylvain — January 13 — Guitarist with the influential glam-punk band The New York Dolls. Died of cancer at age 69.

Tim Bogert — January 13 — Bassist with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the supergroup Beck, Bogert & Appice. Died of cancer at age 76.

Stanley Wade — January 13 — Founding singer and bassist with disco/R&B group The Trammps. Died from complications of COVID-19.

Phil Spector — January 16 — Influential producer known for his “Wall of Sound” recording technique. Convicted of shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003. Died of natural causes at age 81 while serving a 19-year prison sentence.

Hilton Valentine — January 29 — Founding guitarist of British Invasion group The Animals. Died at age 77.

Jim Weatherly — February 3 — Songwriter best known for writing some of Gladys Knight & the Pips‘ biggest hits, including “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Died of natural causes at age 77.

Mary Wilson — February 8 — Founding member of legendary Motown group The Supremes. Died of cardiovascular disease at age 76.

Chick Corea — February 9 — Acclaimed jazz keyboardist. Died of cancer at age 79.

James Burke — February 19 — Member of the soul group The Five Stairsteps. Died of pneumonia at age 70.

Gene Taylor — February 20 — Boogie-woogie piano player who played with Canned Heat, The Blasters, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and other artists. Died at age 68.

Bunny Wailer — March 2 — Reggae singer, last surviving founding member of the late Bob Marley‘s band The Wailers. Died of a stroke at age 73.

Alan Cartwright — March 4 — Bassist for Procol Harum from 1971 to 1976. Died of stomach cancer at age 75.

Michael Stanley — March 5 — popular heartland rocker from Cleveland. Died of lung cancer at age 72.

Malcolm Cecil — March 28 — British synthesizer pioneer who collaborated with Stevie Wonder on three of Wonder’s classic 1970s albums. Died after a long illness at age 84.

Morris “B.B.” Dickerson — April 2 — Original bassist of War. Died after a long illness at age 71.

Ralph Schuckett — April 4 — Former keyboardist with Todd Rungren’s Utopia, also played with the ’60s psychedelic groups Clear Light and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and on some of Carole King‘s early albums. Died at age 73.

Rusty Young — April 14 — Co-founder, singer and lap-steel guitarist with pioneering country-rock group Poco. Died of a heart attack at age 75.

Mike Mitchell — April 16 — Founding lead guitarist of legendary garage-rock band The Kingsmen, known for their classic cover of “Louie Louie.” Died on his 77th birthday.

Jim Steinman — April 19 — Songwriter known for his long association with Meat Loaf, also wrote memorable hits for Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply and Celine Dion. Died at age 73.

Les McKeown — April 20 — Lead singer of 1970s Scottish pop band The Bay City Rollers. Died suddenly at age 65.

Joe Long — April 21 — Played bass with The Four Seasons from 1965 to 1975. Died from complications of COVID at age 79.

Al Schmitt — April 26 — Grammy-winning studio engineer who worked on memorable albums by Steely Dan, Toto, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney and many others. Died at age 91.

Lloyd Price — May 2 — Influential R&B singer and songwriter whose hits included “Stagger Lee” and “Personality.” Died at age 88.

Pervis Staples — May 6 — Co-founding member of the lauded family gospel and soul group The Staple Singers. Died at age 85.

Roger Hawkins — May 20 — Drummer for famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section collective of session musicians, a.k.a. The Swampers, contributed to recordings by dozens of famous artists. Also co-founded Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Died after a long illness at age 75.

B.J. Thomas — May 29 — Pop and country singer whose best-known hits include “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “Hooked on a Feeling” and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.” Died of lung cancer at age 78.

Jeff LaBar — July 14 — Longtime guitarist for glam-metal band Cinderella. Died at age 58.

Gary Corbett — July 14 — Keyboardist and songwriter who toured with KISS and Cinderella, co-wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit “She Bop.” Died of lung cancer.

Robby Steinhardt — July 17 — Longtime violinist and singer with Kansas. Died of acute pancreatitis at age 71.

John “Hutch” Hutchinson — July 25 — British guitarist who played with David Bowie during the early years of Bowie’s career. Died after a long illness.

Dusty Hill — July 28 — Bassist, singer and songwriter for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees ZZ Top for more than 50 years. Died at his home in Houston at age 72.

Paul Cotton — August 1 — Former singer, guitarist and songwriter for influential country-rock band Poco. Passed away unexpectedly at age 78.

Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas — August 7 — Founding member and longtime saxophonist for Kool & the Gang. Died at age 70.

Mike Finnigan — August 11 — Session keyboardist who played on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mason, Peter Frampton, Cher, Crosby, Stills & Nash and many others. Died of liver cancer at age 76.

Nanci Griffith — August 13 — Grammy-winning folk-country singer/songwriter. Died at age 68.

Don Everly — August 21 — With his brother Phil, one half of the pioneering rock ‘n’ roll duo The Everly Brothers, among the first artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Died at his home in Nashville at age 84.

Brian Travers — August 22 — Founding sax player for U.K. reggae band UB40. Died of brain cancer at age 62.

Fritz McIntyre — August 24 — Original keyboard player for British pop-soul group Simply Red. Died at age 63.

Charlie Watts — August 24 –Drummer for the iconic British rock band The Rolling Stones from February 1963 until his passing. Died at age 80.

Lee “Scratch” Perry — August 29 — Jamaican singer and producer hailed for breaking boundaries for reggae and dub music during the ’60s and ’70s. Died of an unspecified illness at age 85.

Ron Bushy — August 29 — Longtime drummer of psychedelic band Iron Butterfly. Died at age 79.

John Drake — August 29 — Original lead singer of Michigan psychedelic band The Amboy Dukes, which was led by guitarist Ted Nugent. Died from complications of cancer at age 74.

Sarah Dash — September 20 — Singer, member of The Bluebelles and Labelle with Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx. Died unexpectedly at age 76.

Pee Wee Ellis — September 23 — Saxophonist, composer and arranger who played and collaborated with James Brown, Van Morrison, Ginger Baker and many others. Died from complications with his heart at age 80.

George Frayne IV, a.k.a. Commander Cody — September 26 — Veteran country-rock musician who led the group Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Died of cancer at age 77.

Alan Lancaster — September 26 — Founding bassist for popular U.K. rock band Status Quo. Died of multiple sclerosis at age 72.

Everett Morton — October 8 — Drummer for the British ska band The Beat, known as The English Beat in the U.S. Died at age 71.

Paddy Moloney — October 11 — Founder, leader and multi-instrumentalist of the popular traditional Irish band The Chieftains. Died suddenly at age 83.

Ron Tutt — October 16 — Drummer with Elvis Presley‘s TCB Band, also played on recordings by Billy Joel, the Jerry Garcia Band, Neil Diamond and many others. Died at age 83.

Leslie Bricusse — October 19 — British songwriter who co-wrote many memorable songs for movies, including the James Bond themes “Goldfinger” and “You Only Live Twice,” and the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory classics “Candyman” and “Pure Imagination.” Died at age 90.

Jay Black — October 22 — Born David Blatt, powerhouse vocalist who became the second lead singer for the 1960s pop-rock group Jay and the Americans. Died of complications from pneumonia at age 82.

Ronnie Wilson — November 2 — Founding member and multi-instrumentalist for popular R&B/funk group The Gap Band. Died after suffering a stroke at age 73.

Terence “Astro” Wilson — November 6 — Longtime vocalist, percussionist and trumpet player for U.K. reggae band UB40. Died after a short illness at age 64.

Graeme Edge — November 11 — Founding drummer of The Moody Blues, also wrote poetic interludes for the band, including “Late Lament.” Died of cancer at age 80.

Phil Margo — November 13 — Founding member of Brooklyn, New York, doo-wop group The Tokens, best known for their chart-topping 1961 hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Died after suffering a stroke at age 79.

Billy Hinsche — November 20 — One-third of the 1960s boy band Dino, Desi and Billy and longtime member of The Beach Boys‘ touring band. Died of cancer at age 70.

Stephen Sondheim — November 26 — Legendary Broadway composer and lyricist whose compositions include “Send in the Clowns,” “Somewhere” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Died at age 91.

Melvin Parker — December 3 — Lauded funk drummer who played with James Brown during the 1960s and ’70s; brother of saxophonist Maceo Parker. Died at age 77.

Robbie Shakespeare — December 8 — acclaimed reggae bassist who with Sly Dunbar made up the influential and prolific rhythm section and production team Sly and Robbie. Died following kidney surgery at age 68.

Ralph Tavares — December 8 — Original member of the sibling R&B and disc group Tavares. Died at age 79.

Gil Bridges — December 10 — Founding woodwind player and singer for the rock and soul band Rare Earth. Died of COVID-19 at age 80.

Michael Nesmith — December 10 — Member of The Monkees, also pioneered country-rock as a solo artist and with his backing group The First National Band. Died of natural causes at age 78.

Les Emmersmith — December 10 — Frontman of Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band, best known for their 1971 hit “Signs.” Died of complications of COVID-19 at age 77.

Ken Kragen — December 14 — Music manager and producer who helped organize the recording of “We Are the World.” Died of natural causes at age 85.

Phil Chen — December 14 — Veteran bassist who worked with Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, members of The Doors and many others. Died at age 75 after a long battle with cancer.

Wanda Young Rogers — December 15 — Co-lead singer of famed Motown girl group The Marvelettes, best known for their chart-topping 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman.” Died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at age 78.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Black Panther’ fans want title role recast, Michael B. Jordan opens up about nude scene in ‘A Journal for Jordan’

‘Black Panther’ fans want title role recast, Michael B. Jordan opens up about nude scene in ‘A Journal for Jordan’
‘Black Panther’ fans want title role recast, Michael B. Jordan opens up about nude scene in ‘A Journal for Jordan’
Marvel Studios

Black Panther fans are calling on Marvel to honor the late Chadwick Boseman by continuing his role as King T’Challa in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

As of late Thursday afternoon, nearly 50,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for role to be recast. 

“If Marvel Studios removes T’Challa, it would be at the expense of the audiences (especially Black boys and men) who saw themselves in him. That also includes the millions of fans who were inspired by the character as well,” reads the petition. “By not recasting, it could stifle the opportunity for one of the most popular leading Black superheroes to add on to their legacy.”

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously announced that the MCU will “honor the legacy” of Boseman by not recasting T’Challa. Boseman passed away of colon cancer in August 2020.

In other news, Michael B. Jordan has avoided nude scenes in the past, but he briefly bares his behind in his new film, A Journal for Jordan.

“You wanna save those moments of being vulnerable for the right project. To make sure it’s sophisticated, it’s elevated to the right level, when you’re gonna reveal yourself like that. And yeah, this was the one for me,” the NAACP Image Award winner tells Entertainment Weekly

Finally, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars in The Matrix Resurrections as Morpheus, a character previously portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. As some fans complained about Fishburne’s absence, Mateen says his goal was to honor Fishburne’s performance.

Abdul-Mateen II tells EW.com that he embraced the “opportunity to learn more about the world and also to pay homage to the performance that Laurence Fishburne presented to us and then to really add onto that in my own way.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Black Veil Brides’ Andy Biersack hopes to keep 30-year New Year’s resolution streak going

Black Veil Brides’ Andy Biersack hopes to keep 30-year New Year’s resolution streak going
Black Veil Brides’ Andy Biersack hopes to keep 30-year New Year’s resolution streak going
Credit: Joshua Shultz

Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack isn’t a big believer in New Year’s resolutions.

“I never have been,” Biersack tells ABC Audio. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a New Year’s resolution, because I always feel like it’s just such a ridiculous thing to put on yourself.”

He continues, “If you wanna do different s***, just do different s***. You don’t have to make a promise.”

If pressed, though, Biersack will give you his goal for 2022.

“My New Year’s resolution is the same as it’s always been,” Biersack says. “To never, at any point in 2022, jump out of a moving plane without a parachute.”

He adds, “I’ve held that one for almost 31 years.”

Besides that, Biersack’s 2022 plans include co-headlining the Trinity of Terror tour alongside Motionless in White and Ice Nine Kills. The triple bill hits the road beginning March 17 in Mesa, Arizona.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.