Kelsea Ballerini finishes the year with a top-ten duet with Kenny Chesney that could very well go on to become the stars’ next number one.
Along the way, she also picked up her very first CMA trophies, with “Half of My Hometown” winning for both Music Video and Musical Event of the Year.
“It’s my favorite song I’ve put out, you know,” she tells ABC Audio, “so just to have that song kinda get some love on it by my peers is a big deal. It’s also with my hometown hero. Like, there’s a lot of levels to it that make me feel really proud.”
Kelsea goes on: “When we got nominated, I FaceTimed Kenny, and we just kind of had that moment of like, ‘People like our song. Like, What a joy!’ You know, you make it because you like it, and we made it because we liked it. But to see people really kind of relating to it and catching on is exciting.”
Instead of focusing on career momentum, the East Tennessee native seems to view her success through the eyes of the Knoxville girl who dreamed these dreams.
“I still haven’t had the ‘I’ve made it’ moment, I hope I never do,” she confesses. “But yeah, there are certain moments that kinda make you look up and go, ‘Man, 12-year-old me would be losing her mind!'”
“And having a song with [Kenny] is certainly one of those,” she adds.
In addition to touring the country with pop superstars the Jonas Brothers this year, Kelsea also released her first book of poetry, Feel Your Way Through, in November.
From old school to new school, there’s no denying that hip-hop made its way to the top of the charts this year. Here are the top five albums of 2021, based on first-week sales.
5. Lil Baby and Lil Durk, The Voice of the Heroes, released June 4 — 150,000 in sales
4. Tyler, the Creator, Call Me if You Get Lost, released June 25 — 169,000 in sales
3. J. Cole, The Off-Season, released May 14 — 282,000 in sales
2. Kanye West, Donda, released August 29 — 309,000 in sales
1. Drake, Certified Lover Boy, released September 3 — 613,000 in sales
The Rolling Stones made some very sad and very happy news in 2021. The sad news was that the band lost its beloved drummer, Charlie Watts, who died in August at the age of 80 after playing with the group for over 58 years.
The happy news was that, after postponing a planned U.S. tour in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Stones returned to the road in the fall of this year for a stateside leg that became the highest-grossing tour in the world for 2021.
The Rolling Stones unveiled their plans for a new U.S. leg of their No Filter Tour in late July. Just a couple weeks later, however, it was announced that Watts would likely not be able to join the band on the trek because he was recuperating from a medical procedure, and that he had personally chosen acclaimed session drummer Steve Jordan to fill in for him.
The Stones reportedly had expected Watts to make a full recovery, but he passed away on August 24 in a hospital, surrounded by family members.
With Jordan behind the drum kit, The Rolling Stones officially launched their 2021 tour on September 26 in St. Louis. The band dedicated the trek to Watts, and at the start of every show, a video presentation paying tribute to Charlie was shown on the venue’s screens. The 14-date trek wound down with a November 23 concert in Hollywood, Florida. Pollstar announced in December that the first 12 dates of the tour brought in $115.5 million — the final two shows took place after the calculation cut-off date — making the trek easily the highest-grossing in the world this year.
In other noteworthy Rolling Stones-related news that happened in 2021, Mick Jagger released a new collaborative single in April called “Eazy Sleazy” that featured Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on guitar, bass and drums. Also, October saw the release of an expanded 40th anniversary reissue of The Stones’ classic 1981 album Tattoo You. The deluxe versions of the reissue included a bonus disc titled Lost & Found made up of previously unreleased tracks enhanced with newly added vocals and guitars.
2021 was a wild ride for many for obvious reasons, but what were the biggest entertainment controversies that made headlines over the past year?
The most recent was the deadly shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin‘s Western film, Rust. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in the October 21 incident, in which Baldwin fired his Colt revolver in the direction of both during a rehearsal. Investigators said a live round was loaded in the pistol that Baldwin claimed he was assured was “cold,” or safe. The investigation into the fatal shooting continues.
Dave Chappelle‘s reputation took a hit after critics claimed his new Netflix special, The Closer, contained “transphobic” content. Netflix employees staged a virtual walkout on October 20 after Netflix head Ted Sarandos defended the special and Chappelle as freedom of speech. Sarandos later apologized. Some film festivals disinvited Chappelle from screening his Untitled documentary because of the controversy. The comedian never apologized but later said he was willing to meet members of the trans community who “watched my special from beginning to end.”
Jeopardy! found itself in hot water when it tapped executive producer Mike Richards to succeed the late Alex Trebek on August 11. Shortly after, controversial remarks he made on The Randumb Show, a podcast he hosted from 2013 to 2014, resurfaced, among other concerning allegations. Richards stepped down on August 20 following the intense public backlash.
Armie Hammer was dropped by his agent and was booted from numerous TV and movie projects after sexual abuse and misconduct allegations surfaced against him earlier this year. Hammer denied the accusations and checked into a Florida treatment facility for drug, alcohol, and sex issues on May 31. He left the facility in December.
And, lastly, the Golden Globes. A February Los Angeles Timesexposé ignited a racial controversy after finding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that presents the award show, hadn’t included a single Black member in its voting body for some 20 years. Although the HFPA announced reforms, the damage was done. Hollywood shunned the organization, Tom Cruise returned his three trophies in protest, and the HFPA’s longtime broadcast partner, NBC, cut all ties, leaving it without a broadcast outlet for the upcoming January 9 ceremony.
(NEW YORK) — Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah has declined to pursue criminal charges against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegations made by two women that he kissed them on the cheek.
While her investigators found “credible evidence” that the alleged conduct had occurred, Rocah said the actions did not meet the requirement to be prosecuted as a criminal act.
“Our investigation found credible evidence to conclude that the alleged conduct in both instances did occur,” Rocah wrote in a statement. “However, in both instances, my Office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York.”
Rocah’s investigation, which began after the release of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report on Cuomo, examined the accusations made by a state trooper on Cuomo’s security detail and by a woman who alleged Cuomo gave her an unwanted kiss during an event at White Plains High School.
The trooper alleged that she was on duty at the governor’s home in Mount Kisco when he asked if he could kiss her. She said that she said “sure” because she was afraid of the ramifications of saying no. He allegedly kissed her on the cheek and “then said something to the effect of, ‘oh, I’m not supposed to do that’ or ‘unless that’s against the rules,'” according to the attorney general’s report.
The second woman alleged in the report that Cuomo grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him to kiss her on the cheek.
Rocah is the second prosecutor in recent weeks, after Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith, to decline to prosecute Cuomo based on his actions not meeting the statutory requirements for a criminal act. Smith made similar comments as Rocah, saying she found the allegations “credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal under New York law.”
Editor’s Note: This story originally said charges were not pressed because they were outside the statute of limitations. It has been updated to say that charges were not pressed against Cuomo because they did not meet the statutory requirements of the law, not because they were outside the statute of limitations.
(DENVER) — A shooter allegedly went on a “killing spree” across the Denver area Monday night, killing five and wounding two others, across at least four locations, officials said.
The suspect also died following an exchange of gunfire with police, officials said. Prior to the shooting, federal law enforcement was aware that the suspect, Lyndon Mcleod, harbored extremist views and had a history of psychiatric episodes, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News.
Law enforcement is now scouring the suspect’s writings, both physical and online, and trying to determine what led up to the shooting spree, sources said. Police said they had investigated the suspect in 2020 and 2021 for previous incidents, but he was not arrested either time.
All of the victims were known to Mcleod through personal or business relationships, police said at a press conference Tuesday evening. Police confirmed on Tuesday that a fifth shooting victim had died, but did not specify which person died of those who were injured.
The incident began at about 5 p.m. on Monday in downtown Denver, where three people were shot, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. Two women were killed and a man was injured, he said.
The shooting appeared to start with a tattoo parlor as the target, sources said, citing preliminary findings of the investigation. State business records obtained by ABC News indicate Mcleod used to own a tattoo business in Denver.
Gunshots were then reported at a second location, but there were no injuries, he said. That location, on Bannock Street and Sixth Avenue, was where Mcleod owned a tattoo business as recently as 2017, according to state business records. A van was also set on fire in a nearby alley, allegedly by the suspect.
Police received a call moments later about a third shooting nearby, where one man was killed, Pazen said.
“Denver police officers identified a vehicle associated with this incident. There was a pursuit that ensued,” Pazen said. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the individual, the suspect, here, and our officers.”
There were no injuries in that exchange, Pazan said, but the suspect disabled a police vehicle and fled into neighboring Lakewood.
Lakewood police then responded to a report of a shooting at about 6 p.m., said John Romero, the department’s public information officer. One person was killed in that incident at Lucky 13 tattoo parlor, police said.
Lakewood police then located the suspect’s vehicle at a shopping center, Romero said. The suspect shot at officers, before fleeing on foot to a nearby store and then a Hyatt Place hotel, he said. The suspect shot a clerk at the hotel, Romero said.
The suspect shot and injured a Lakewood officer while fleeing the hotel, Romero said. The officer is in stable condition but will need to undergo more surgeries, police said.
The suspect and officers then exchanged gunfire, and the suspect was shot and killed, Romero said.
“This is the holiday season. To have this type of spree take place is not normal for our community,” Pazen said. “We cannot lose sight of the victims in this, the people who are still fighting for their lives, including a Lakewood agent.”
The Flaming Lips have postponed their upcoming New Year’s concerts at The Caverns venue in Tennessee due to surging COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The shows, which were originally scheduled for December 30 and 31, will now take place over President’s Day Weekend 2022 on February 19 and 20.
“It will still be a New Year’s celebration of epic proportions!” reads an Instagram post from The Caverns. “[Frontman] Wayne [Coyne] and the band feel strongly about ringing in the New Year with you!”
Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates.
The Lips are the latest band with New Year’s plans affected by Omicron. Artists including The Strokes, Phish and My Morning Jacket have also postponed their scheduled NYE concerts.
Is Dirty Honey heading into 2022 on a “Crazy Train”?
The “When I’m Gone” rockers have shared a cryptic social media post featuring a 15-second clip of the Ozzy Osbourne solo classic, along with a video featuring a purple-colored letter C floating against a black background.
One might guess that the C stands for “cover,” and that we might be getting a Dirty Honey version of “Crazy Train.” However, nothing’s been officially announced. Perhaps Dirty Honey just felt like sharing a clip of a song that reflects the insanity that was 2021. Or, maybe the C stands for “crypto,” and Dirty Honey is really excited about Ozzy’s just announced CryptoBatz NFT series.
While you wait for Dirty Honey’s potential “Crazy Train” cover to arrive at the station, you can rock out to their self-titled debut album, which was released earlier this year. The group will kick off 2022 on the Young Guns tour with Mammoth WVH beginning January 18 in Philadelphia.
(NEW YORK) — Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah has declined to pursue criminal charges against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
While her investigators found “credible evidence” the alleged conduct had occurred, Rocah said it fell outside the statute of limitations.
Rocah’s investigation, which began after the release of the New York Attorney General’s report on Cuomo, examined the accusations made by a state trooper on Cuomo’s security detail and by a woman who alleged Cuomo gave her an unwanted kiss during an event at White Plains High School.
Rocah is the second prosecutor in recent weeks, after Nassau County’s, to decline to prosecute Cuomo based on the statute of limitations.
