Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Scorpions‘ eighth studio album, Blackout, which saw the German rockers achieve their first significant chart success in the U.S.
The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200, and featured the melodic rock anthem “No One Like You,” whose popularity was propelled by a memorable music video that went into heavy rotation on MTV.
Much of the clip was filmed during an overnight shoot at the site of the infamous former prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. It included a scene where frontman Klaus Meine is strapped into a prop electric chair.
Meine tells ABC Audio that the experience of filming the video on Alcatraz “was fantastic.”
“It was a little spooky,” the singer recalls. “When you went outside, the whole bay, it was very foggy…and it was pretty cold. And we went to different places inside the prison.”
Meine also remembers that the electric chair that had been brought to island for the shoot became quite popular with the tourists who began arriving the next morning.
“I remember the first boat arrived with some Japanese tourists,” Klaus recalls, “and when they spotted the electric chair, they were lining up, taking pictures of [it], thinking Al Capone was grilled there or whatever.”
Blackout went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million in the U.S.
The Scorpions’ popularity in the wake of Blackout‘s success led to the band getting a slot at the 1983 US Festival’s “Heavy Metal Day,” just before headliners Van Halen.
Meine says the band, performing in front of a crowd of over 300,000 people in California’s San Bernardino Valley, “played one of the best shows in our life.”
Here’s Blackout‘s full track list:
“Blackout”
“Can’t Live Without You”
“No One Like You”
“You Give Me All I Need”
“Now!”
“Dynamite”
“Arizona”
“China White”
“When the Smoke Is Going Down”
Paramount Pictures Corporation. All rights reserved./Scott Garfield
After a series of movie theater fly-bys, Top Gun: Maverick is finally coming in for a landing May 27, and Paramount Pictures has just debuted a new trailer to trigger your need for speed.
The pandemic-delayed movie once again sees Tom Cruise‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the cockpit, this time tasked with training a slate of young, hotshot pilots. “I’m not a teacher,” Maverick protests to a superior officer, played by Jon Hamm.
The request for Maverick to instruct the fliers was given by none other than Admiral Tom Kazansky — whom fans know as Val Kilmer‘s Iceman from the first film, and who has apparently advanced up the chain of command.
Maverick, meanwhile, remains a captain, partly because more medals on his chest means he’d lose his cockpit time.
“Everyone in this room is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?” asks Monica Barbero, playing “Phoenix.”
Maverick’s introduction to his cadre of students comes as he shocks them by shooting vertically up through their formation. “Good morning, aviators,” he teases from his F-18 Super Hornet. “This is your captain speaking.”
Apparently, Maverick’s training is needed before the fliers face a dangerous mission.
One of his students is Miles Teller, playing “Rooster,” the son of Anthony Edwards‘ Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, whose death in the first film haunted Maverick. “My dad believed in you. I’m not gonna make the same mistake,” he sneers.
Also appearing in the sneak peek is Oscar winner Jennifer Connolly, who plays Penny Benjamin, referenced as an admiral’s daughter and an off-camera fling in the first film.
Top Gun wowed audiences with its aerial camerawork, and the new trailer teases that the long-awaited follow-up also will not disappoint.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Homecoming Weekend
Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” has materialized into another Billboard chart milestone for the star.
The song has just climbed to a new peak of number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s Justin’s 20th top-five hit of his career — only nine other acts in history have scored that many top fives.
Justin now has had as many top five hits as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. The only acts who’ve had more are Elvis Presley, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Drake, Mariah Carey, Madonna and The Beatles.
But wait, that’s not all. Justin’s song “Stay” with The Kid LAROI is currently number two on the Hot 100, making Justin the first artist to have two songs in the top five in more than six months. The last one to do that was fellow Canadian star Drake, in September of 2021.
If it seems like Elton John announced his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour years ago, it’s because he did: It was January 2018. But now, he’s reached the end of the road — in North America, anyway.
Elton’s just announced 11 North American stadium dates that will include the actual, very last, we promise, U.S. and Canadian shows of the tour. He’ll say goodbye to the continent on November 20 at LA’s Dodger Stadium — the site of one of his most iconic career concerts — and it’ll mark his landmark 2,000th U.S. concert in a 52-year career of touring. When the tour ends, Elton will have played in all 50 states.
Tickets for the 11 dates go on sale Wednesday, April 6 at 10 a.m. local time via EltonJohn.com. Members of his Rocket Fan Club have access to a pre-sale this Friday.
In a statement, Elton says, “Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I cherish these memories we’re making together. It has been nothing short of incredible and I look forward to seeing you very soon one last time, on my Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.”
The tour won’t actually finish until sometime in 2023, which is when Elton will perform in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Here are the final North American dates:
July 24, 2022 East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium
July 27, 2022 Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium
September 8, 2022 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
September 13, 2022 Charleston, SC Credit One Stadium
October 8, 2022 Santa Clara, CA Levi’s® Stadium
October 16, 2022 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
October 17, 2022 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
October 22, 2022 Vancouver, BC BC Place
November 9, 2022 San Diego, CA Petco Park
November 11,2022 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field
November 17, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium
Late-night hosts had a field day addressing the “slap heard around the world,” using their opening to lay into Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at Sunday night’s Academy Awards over a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Welcome one and all to The Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert began. “It’s Monday, unless you’re Chris Rock, because I’m pretty sure he got slapped into next week.”
“That’s the worst thing Will Smith has ever done. Wait, I forgot about Wild, Wild West,” the host of CBS’ late-night talker added.
“It’s now a part of our lives forever. We will never stop talking about this,” said Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “Even Kanye [West] was like, ‘You went on stage and did what at an awards show?’”
Kimmel, a two-time Oscar host, went on to praise Rock’s handling of the situation, noting he “didn’t even flinch. I would’ve been crying so hard.”
“No one did anything. Nobody lifted a finger. Spider-Man was there. Aquaman was there. Catwoman, all sitting on their hands. Nobody helped Chris Rock,” he joked.
Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, chose a more subtle approach, not mentioning Smith and Rock by name. Instead he quipped, “America may be divided, but it was kind of nice for us to come together to say ‘holy crap’ at the same time.”
“The 94th Academy Awards were held last night and featured the first live performance of ‘We Don’t Talk about Bruno’ from the Disney musical Encanto, followed by an unbelievable live performance of ‘We don’t Talk about Jada,'” Seth Meyers joked in his Late Night monologue, while The Late Late Show‘s James Corden expressed the same sentiment in a musical number that warned his joke writers, “We don’t talk about Jada.”
The slap in the face Chris Rock got from Will Smith at Sunday’s Oscars have given Rock’s ticket sales a shot in the arm. TickPick reports the comedian’s ticket sales rose 641% between Sunday night and Monday morning. The ticket marketplace tweeted on Monday, “We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.” Rock has two stand-up sets each night at the Wilbur theater in Boston this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He then begins a world comedy tour with a pair of shows on Saturday at the Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City…
Aaron Sorkin is re-teaming with his To Kill a Mockingbird partner Bartlett Sher for a theater revival of the Lerner & Leowe musical classic Camelot. Lincoln Center Theater, in a statement on Monday, described the production as “a new version of the classic tale… reimagined for the 21st century.” Camelot, based on T.H. White’s 1958 novel The Once and Future King, itself based on the legend of King Arthur, features the memorable songs “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” and the title song. The musical was first staged in 1960, starring Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet. A 1967 film version starred Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave. Previews are set to begin at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater November 3, with the opening night set for December 8…
Following multiple reports that Michael Che told an audience during an appearance in Minneapolis over the weekend that he was leaving Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” the co-anchor took to his Instagram on Sunday in a since-deleted post to clarify that his remarks were made in jest. “To comedy fans; please stop telling reporters everything you hear at a comedy show, youre [sic] spoiling the trick,” he said, along with a slide show with a screenshot of a HuffPost article titled, “Saturday Night Live Co-Head Writer Michael Che Says He’s Leaving ‘Weekend Update.’” Che, 38, joined SNL as a writer in 2013 and began co-anchoring “Weekend Update” in 2014, alongside Colin Jost…
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time last week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 29, 7:02 am
Kremlin confirms Abramovich’s involvement in peace talks
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is taking part in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at the approval of both parties, although he is not an official member of the Russian delegation, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Abramovich has been engaged in ensuring certain contacts between the Russian and the Ukrainian side,” Peskov said during a daily call with reporters Tuesday. “He is not an official delegation member.”
“Nevertheless, he is also present on our side in Istanbul,” Peskov added, referring to the peace talks currently underway in Turkey’s capital.
Abramovich’s participation in the negotiations has been endorsed by both sides, according to Peskov.
Peskov said it will be clear “today or tomorrow whether [the talks] hold some promise or not.”
Mar 29, 6:59 am
Ukrainian soldiers patrol streets of Irpin after claims of liberation
Ukrainian soldiers were seen patrolling the streets of Irpin on Tuesday, following claims that the besieged Kyiv suburb has been “liberated” from Russian forces.
Video released by the Ukrainian military and verified by ABC News shows their troops driving through Irpin, a northwestern suburb of Kyiv where some of the heaviest fighting near the Ukrainian capital has taken place.
Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn announced in a video posted to Telegram on Monday that “Irpin has been liberated.”
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government released video on Tuesday showing elderly people who had been evacuated from Irpin arriving in Kyiv, where they reunited with their families.
The footage purportedly shows 86-year-old Irpin resident Olga Molchanova being embraced by her daughter and son. Molchanova’s adult children had evacuated Irpin earlier via a humanitarian corridor, but their parents refused to leave at the time, according to Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (Stratcom).
“Recaptured by Ukrainian army, Irpin remains too dangerous for civilians to stay,” Stratcom said in a post on Twitter alongside the video.
Mar 29, 6:16 am
Abramovich attends peace talks after suspected poisoning
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is taking part in Tuesday’s in-person negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey’s capital, a Turkish presidential source told ABC News.
Abramovich is the owner of the English professional football club Chelsea. The U.K. government has included him among the wealthy Russians targeted in recent sanctions.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after peace talks in Kyiv in early March.
A Turkish presidential source told ABC News that Abramovich suspected he was poisoned after experiencing eye problems.
Turkish officials confirmed there is a discussion regarding the food protocols during Tuesday’s negotiations in Istanbul.
Mar 29, 6:12 am
Ukraine warns delegation not to eat or drink at talks
Ukraine is warning its delegation against eating or drinking while attending in-person peace talks with Russian negotiators, amid fears of potential poisoning.
“I advise to everyone who’s going to any negotiations with Russia, not to eat or drink anything, and also not to touch any surfaces,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement Tuesday.
The warning came a day after The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources, that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators had suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning following peace talks in Kyiv in early March.
Mar 29, 3:22 am
Talks between Russia, Ukraine begin in Turkey
The latest round of in-person peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations kicked off in Istanbul on Tuesday morning, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in attendance.
Erdogan addressed both sides with a brief speech before the talks began.
“Establishing a cease-fire and peace as soon as possible will be to everyone’s benefit. We think that we’ve entered a period where we need to achieve concrete results from negotiations,” Erdogan said. “As members of the delegations, you’ve taken on a historic responsibility. The whole world is awaiting the good news that will come from you.”
Footage showing the start of the meeting was broadcast by Russian state-backed television channel RT.
Tuesday’s negotiations are taking place in Dolmabahce Palace in the Besiktas district of Turkey’s capital, according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency. It’s the first face-to-face talks to take place between Russia and Ukraine in more than two weeks.
(LONDON) — Members of Britain’s royal family gathered Tuesday to celebrate the life of Prince Philip, who died at age 99 almost one year ago.
Queen Elizabeth led the royal family at the service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey for Philip, her husband of over 70 years.
The 95-year-old queen has battled health conditions over the past several months — including COVID-19 and a brief hospitalization for what Buckingham Palace said was “preliminary investigations” — so her attendance was all the more noteworthy.
The queen entered Westminster Abbey using a walking stick and holding on to the arm of her son, Prince Andrew, who last month agreed to settle a sexual assault lawsuit. The last time Andrew appeared in a public capacity with the royal family was last April, when the family gathered in London for Prince Philip’s funeral.
Joining the queen to celebrate Philip, in addition to Andrew, are the couple’s three other children — Princes Charles and Edward and Princess Anne — and many of their grandchildren, including Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate.
Several of the queen and Philip’s great-grandchildren, including William and Kate’s two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also attended the service.
Notably absent from the service was Prince Harry, who stepped down from his senior royal role in 2020 and now lives in California with his wife, Meghan, and their two children. A spokesperson for Harry, the duke of Sussex, confirmed earlier this month he would not attend.
Harry, who did attend his grandfather’s funeral last April, has expressed concern about his safety in the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, he filed a legal challenge asking that the U.K. government allow him to pay for his own police protection while in the U.K.
The service of Thanksgiving that Harry missed was a much larger affair than Prince Philip’s funeral, which was held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor and had to be modified due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The queen was “actively involved” in planning the Thanksgiving service for her husband, “with many elements reflecting Her Majesty’s wishes,” according to Buckingham Palace.
The service of Thanksgiving, led by the dean of Westminster, was designed to “pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organizations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life,” according to the palace.
Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, was known as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family during his tenure alongside the country’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth.
When he retired in 2017, at the age of 96, Philip had completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952, gave 5,496 speeches in his travels to more than 76 countries, authored 14 books, served as patron to 785 organizations and made 637 solo overseas visits, Buckingham Palace said at the time.
Tuesday’s service also put a spotlight on a program beloved by Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which he launched in the 1950s to encourage “young people to serve their communities” and “experience adventure,” according to the royal family’s website.
The only non-member of the clergy to speak at the service was Doyin Sonibare, a recipient of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, according to the palace.
In addition to Philip’s family members, Tuesday’s service was also attended by royals from around the world, including Spain, Sweden, Bahrain Romania, Serbia, Norway and Greece, according to Buckingham Palace.
Philip was born in Greece, in 1921, as the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His family was exiled from Greece when he was a baby, and he spent some of his childhood in France.
He was known as Prince Philip of Greece until he became a British subject in 1947 and dropped his titles, becoming Philip Mountbatten.
Upon his marriage to Elizabeth in 1947, he became the duke of Edinburgh.
One decade later, in 1957, the queen made Philip a “Prince of the United Kingdom.”
M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
(BRIDGEPORT, Conn.) — The UConn’s women’s basketball team is headed to its 14th straight Final Four appearance after defeating No. 1 seed NC State in a tough battle Monday night.
It took two overtimes but the No. 2 seed Huskies were able to top the Wolfpack 91-87 in the Elite Eight matchup at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
UConn guard Paige Bueckers led the team with 27 points, followed by guard Christyn Williams, who scored 21.
The Huskies will now go up against No. 1 seed Stanford on Friday. Tip off begins at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
