Mariah Carey is teaching her very own MasterClass that will train students how to use their voice like an instrument.
According to the official press release, “Carey will bring members into the Butterfly Lounge, her mobile studio, to show how they can use their voice not only to sing but also to write and produce melodies, lyrics and instrumentation that blend genres and break barriers.”
In addition, attendees will be first to hear a remix of Mariah’s 1997 song “The Roof,” which will feature new vocals from Brandy. The Moesha star will also be a part of the class so students can “see Carey in action as she directs Brandy on background vocals.”
“I’ve never let cameras in when I am creating — not when I’m writing, and especially not when I’m singing,” Mariah said in a statement, adding she hopes her class will help teach people they can “become anything they want to be as long as they create, re-create, reimagine and reinvent.”
Mariah’s MasterClass is now available, consisting of seven video lessons that run just under an hour and 45 minutes total.
Is Arcade Fire planning a surprise performance at Coachella?
On Thursday, the “Wake Up” outfit tweeted a photo of frontman Win Butler, who turns 42 today, with a palm tree in the background, alongside the caption, “Decided to spend my birthday somewhere warm and dry.”
The tweet also includes a palm tree emoji and tags @Coachella.
A surprise Coachella performance would fit right in with Arcade Fire’s recent month of spontaneous concerts, which has included last-minute, intimate shows in New York City and New Orleans. However, nothing yet is confirmed. It’s entirely possible that Butler is instead teasing a DJ set under his DJ Windows 98 moniker, or is just attending the festival as a fan.
Coachella, meanwhile, has seen its fair share of lineup changes on the road to its return this year following two years of pandemic-canceled festivals. The reunited Rage Against the Machine was originally supposed to headline in 2020 before eventually dropping off the bill, while controversial rapper Kanye West‘s headlining set was canceled just this month, with The Weeknd and electronic group Swedish House Mafia replacing him on the bill.
As for who will definitely be playing Coachella 2022, which takes place April 15-17 and April 22-24, the lineup includes Billie Eilish, Måneskin, Phoebe Bridgers, Turnstile, girl in red, Wallows, FINNEAS, The Regrettes, and Bishop Briggs.
A Van Halen tour featuring drummer Alex Van Halen, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted was apparently discussed.
That revelation comes from Newsted himself, who tells The Palm Beach Postthat Alex had recruited Satriani to step in for his late brother and band mate, Eddie Van Halen, and had been searching for a bassist.
Newstead says he was approached for the project about six months ago, and traveled to California to jam with the pair before deciding not to continue with the project.
“There’s nobody that can top [Van Halen], so how do you show it honor?” Newsted says. “I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.”
It’s unclear whether the tour would be considered a tribute to be Van Halen, or whether the band was supposed to be a rebooted version of the iconic “Panama” rockers. It’s also unclear whether Alex and Satriani still plan to pursue the project without Newsted.
Eddie died October 2020. Prior to his passing, a tour potentially featuring the return of bassist Michael Anthony and all of Van Halen’s past vocalists — David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone — was discussed, but was ultimately scrapped due to Eddie’s health issues.
Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, who played bass in Van Halen since 2006 and now fronts the band Mammoth WVH, has repeatedly said that the band is done following his father’s death. “You can’t have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen,” Wolf told ABC Audio in 2020.
(NEW YORK) — The man accused of opening fire on a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn was ordered to be held on a permanent order of detention following his first court appearance Thursday.
Frank Robert James, 62, was arrested in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said, more than 24 hours into an intense manhunt that began after 10 people were shot on a crowded subway car in Brooklyn.
James was charged in a criminal complaint with committing a terrorist act on a mass transportation vehicle and was subsequently transferred to federal custody. James faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, said Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
James didn’t enter a plea during the court hearing and only answered a few yes or no questions. U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann did not rule out a future bail application.
James was born in New York City and has lived in Philadelphia and Milwaukee in recent years, according to Peace.
“As alleged, the defendant committed a heinous and premeditated attack on ordinary New Yorkers during their morning subway commute,” Peace said in a statement Wednesday. “All New Yorkers have the right to expect that they will be safe as they travel throughout our great city and use our vital transportation systems.”
The shooting unfolded on a Manhattan-bound N subway car during the Tuesday morning commute, just before 8:30 a.m. ET, as the train approached the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood.
A man witnessed mumbling to himself on the subway car donned a gas mask and detonated a smoke canister before pulling out a handgun and firing a barrage of 33 bullets, hitting 10 people, a police official told ABC News.
The gun jammed during the incident, which is believed to have saved lives, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
Smoke poured out of the subway car as the doors opened and screaming riders ran out onto the platform of the station. Bloodied people were seen lying on the floor of the train and the platform.
A total of 29 people were injured, according to hospital officials.
“The defendant, terrifyingly, opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way this city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik said in court Thursday. “The defendant’s attack was premeditated; it was carefully planned; and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city. The defendant’s mere presence outside federal custody presents a serious risk of danger to the community and he should be detained pending trial.”
James’ defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg called the subway shooting a tragedy but pointed out that initial information can often be wrong. She also lauded James’ actions after the shooting.
“Yesterday Mr. James saw his photograph on the news,” Eisner-Grynberg said. “He called crime stoppers. He told them where he was.”
The lawyer said her client deserves a fair trial like all other defendants.
In court, she asked the judge to order James to undergo psychiatric treatment while in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Brooklyn.
According to the criminal complaint, police recovered two bags from the scene containing, among other items, a Glock 17 pistol, a key to a U-Haul rental vehicle and multiple bank cards, including a debit card with the name Frank James. They also discovered a jacket with reflective tape near the two bags that had a receipt for a storage unit in Philadelphia, which records provided by the facility showed was registered to James, the complaint said.
The Glock recovered from the scene was lawfully purchased by James in Ohio, according to the complaint.
Records provided by U-Haul showed James rented a white Chevrolet van from the company in Philadelphia on Monday, according to the complaint. The U-Haul vehicle crossed states lines from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and then to New York, the complaint said. Surveillance cameras recorded the van driving over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge before dawn Tuesday and entering Brooklyn, according to the complaint.
At approximately 6:12 a.m. ET, another surveillance camera recorded an individual wearing a yellow hard hat, orange working jacket with reflective tape, carrying a backpack in his right hand and dragging a rolling bag in his left hand, leaving the U-Haul van on foot near West 7th Street and Kings Highway in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighborhood, according to the complaint.
Police later located the vehicle parked on Kings Highway, about two blocks from a subway stop for the N-train, where investigators believe James entered the mass transit system.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, we believe he was alone,” Mayor Eric Adams told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
Senior law enforcement officials told ABC News they also uncovered a number of social media posts and videos tied to James, including, police said, “race-based grievances and conspiracy theory narratives.”
Police added, “James made several statements indicating that he suffers from a deteriorated mental and emotional state, including claims of severe post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as at least one video that includes a potential indicator of his intent to conduct an act of violence.”
The investigation was complicated by the fact that none of the surveillance cameras inside the 36th Street subway station were working at the time of the attack, a police official told ABC News. The cameras, which are aimed at turnstiles, didn’t transmit in real-time due to a computer malfunction, a source said. The same glitch impacted cameras at the stops before and after 36th Street. Investigators said they are looking into how this malfunction happened.
James was ultimately apprehended after police received a tip that he was in a McDonald’s near 6th Street and 1st Avenue. When responding officers didn’t see James at the fast-food restaurant, they drove around the area and spotted him near St. Marks Place and First Avenue, where he was taken into custody at around 1:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to police.
Sources told ABC News that James may have called police on himself. Among the calls to NYPD Crime Stoppers was reportedly someone who said: “I think you’re looking for me. I’m seeing my picture all over the news, and I’ll be around this McDonalds.”
James allegedly gave his name and a description of what he was wearing, according to sources. He said his phone battery was dying and he would be either in the McDonald’s charging his phone or out front, according to sources. A New York City Police Department official told ABC News investigators are reviewing the 911 call.
When officers didn’t find the suspect in the McDonald’s, a block away they encountered pedestrians who told officers they found James, sources said. James was found standing at a kiosk charging his phone, according to sources.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Mark Crudele, Alex Hosenball, Joshua Hoyos, Soo Rin Kim, Josh Margolin, Christopher Looft and Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Billie Eilish is the latest celebrity to head to Springfield. She’s appearing in an upcoming The Simpsons special.
Taking to her Instagram story to share the official poster, Billie revealed along with two wide grinning emojis, “Guest starring in @thesimpsons new short streaming April 22nd on @disneyplus.”
The special is titled “When Billie Met Lisa,” which shows the “bad guy” hitmaker singing at the studio as Lisa Simpson accompanies her on her baritone sax.
The special will also feature her brother, FINNEAS. According to the official press release, “Lisa Simpson is discovered by chart-topping artists Billie Eilish and FINNEAS while searching for a quiet place to practice her saxophone. Billie invites Lisa to her studio for a special jam session she’ll never forget.”
Billie is the latest singer to get a Springfield-style makeover. Before this announcement, The Weeknd was the latest star to make a guest appearance, voicing two characters — a famous kid influencer who owns a skatewear brand, and his equally-as-cool father, in the episode “Bart the Cool Kid.”
Billie now joins a long line of singers to have been featured on The Simpsons, including Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, John Legend, Elton John, NSYNC, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and many others.
Catch her episode when it premieres next Friday, April 22, on Disney+.
(KISSIMMEE, Fla.) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed into law a bill that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks, the same gestational limit currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The new law, which passed the state Senate in March, will go into effect July 1.
Under the law, there are no exceptions for abortion in the case of rape or incest, but it does allow for exceptions if the fetus has a fatal abnormality or in cases when the mother is at risk of death or “substantial or irreversible physical impairment.”
Those exceptions would require written certification from two physicians.
Physicians who perform abortions must submit monthly reports to the state health department with details about each procedure, including the reasons for performing them and the number of infants born alive after attempted abortions.
“We’re here today to protect life. We’re here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” DeSantis said Thursday in Kissimmee before signing the bill.
Abortion rights advocates argue that banning abortion after 15 weeks will further harm patients who need care the most, including people of color, people of limited economic means and people who lack health insurance.
“Nobody should be forced to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles for essential health care — but in signing this bill, Gov. DeSantis will be forcing Floridians seeking abortion to do just that,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement. “Floridians want to be able to make decisions about their health and their families, without interference from politicians. They want the protections guaranteed by their state’s constitution. This ban runs counter to all of these goals. Planned Parenthood pledges to stand with patients and fight this until people can get the care they deserve.”
Dr. Sujatha Prabhakaran, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, told ABC News in March that doctors like herself are “scared and sad” about the legislation’s potential impact.
“The biggest impact of the bill is going to be hurting our patients’ access to the care that they need,” said Prabhakaran, also a practicing OB-GYN in Sarasota, Florida. “We know that when there are these restrictions, it doesn’t mean that the need for the care goes away, it just means that it makes it even harder for patients to access the care.”
The new law in Florida comes at the same time that legislators in Oklahoma and Kentucky have also taken action to limit abortion access.
Under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, any medical provider who performs an abortion will face a fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years in prison. The only exceptions for performing an abortion would be if the mother’s life is in danger.
On Wednesday, the Kentucky state legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks, along with several other abortion restrictions. Under the bill, any physician that performs an abortion after 15 weeks would lose their license for at least six months.
The state-level actions come as the Supreme Court is reviewing a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.
In the case, Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the state of Mississippi is arguing to uphold a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while Jackson Women’s Health, Mississippi’s lone abortion clinic, argues the Supreme Court’s protection of a woman’s right to choose the procedure is clear, well-established and should be respected.
Since the Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the decision, the court has never allowed states to prohibit the termination of pregnancies prior to fetal viability outside the womb, roughly 24 weeks, according to medical experts.
If the Supreme Court rules in Mississippi’s favor and upholds the law — as is expected because of the court’s current conservative makeup — the focus will turn to states, more than half of which are prepared to ban abortion if Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights organization.
Prabhakaran said in March that she and other doctors in Florida were already seeing patients from states as far away as Texas, which last year enacted a law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
As of 2017, abortions in Florida represent just over 8% of all abortions in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute.
According to Prabhakaran, a 15-week ban in Florida has the potential to force pregnant people to travel as far as North Carolina and Washington, D.C., for care.
“While abortion is very safe, the the higher the gestational age, the more risk there is potentially to patients who have a complication,” she said, adding that the lack of access also means some patients will continue with high-risk pregnancies while others will seek other care. “What I worry is going to start to happen again is that patients will be taking care from unqualified providers, and that that will put them at risk.”
ABC News’ Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
(BOSTON) — Boston public health officials are urging residents to take extra precautions as COVID-19 cases tick up ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend.
In a blog post Wednesday, the Boston Public Health Commission said the city’s test positivity rate currently sits at 6.2%, which is above the agency’s “threshold of concern” of 5%.
It’s also nearly three times higher than the 2.2% test positivity rate recorded one month ago.
Additionally, data shows young adults between ages 20 and 30 are driving the increase and have the highest case rate in Boston.
Ahead of several holidays — including Passover, Easter and Ramadan — and the 126th running of the Boston Marathon Monday, the BPHC recommended wearing a well-fitting mask, getting tested before attending indoors gatherings, and getting vaccinated or boosted.
“Celebrating with family and friends is an important and treasured time and, as cases increase, we must remain vigilant so we can be together safely,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the BPHC, said in a statement. “We have the tools … to stay safe and lower the risk of COVID-19 infection and severe illness.”
Experts said the increase in Boston is mostly due to the spread of BA.2, a highly infectious subvariant of the original BA.1 omicron variant.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.2 makes up more than 90% of cases that have undergone genome sequencing in New England.
“It’s nothing compared to what we saw in terms of the huge and dramatic spike when BA.1 was in the process of replacing the delta variant,” Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, told ABC News. “It’s an uptick, it’s not what we want, but it’s much less significant than BA.1.”
Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said health officials had been preparing for an increase in the city after seeing cases rise in Western Europe due to BA.2 a few weeks ago.
“Whatever happens in Western Europe [with COVID-19] has been a harbinger of what’s going to come in the United States,” he told ABC News. “You can almost set your calendar by it.”
However, there may be some positive signs that this increase in cases will not lead to another wave.
At Tufts Medical Center, Doron said there are more people seeking COVID-19 treatment at outpatient facilities compared to a few weeks ago, but there has not been an increase in hospitalizations.
She added that there has also been a small increase of employees testing positive every day, but it’s not causing staffing shortages.
“It’s not straining our ability to properly staff, it’s not straining our ability to get people in for monoclonal antibodies if they need it,” Doron said.
Experts suggested one reason why COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations may not be surging as they did during the winter is because so many people were infected during the omicron wave that they may have boosted their immunity.
“So many people came down with COVID during the last wave … that they either knew someone who had it, or they had it themselves” Sax said.
Both doctors recommended similar precautions to the BPHC over the holiday weekend including getting tested before gathering with family and friends and taking measures, such as masking indoors, especially if someone is immunocompromised.
Sax also recommended anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms contact their doctor to see if they’re eligible for Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral pill.
“Unlike our previous waves, we are lucky enough to have an antiviral treatment,” Sax said. “The key is to take it quickly so, as soon as they get diagnosed, they should see if they are eligible because it could really help prevent the most dreaded complications of COVID-19.”
Billie Eilish is the latest musician to head to Springfield.
The “bad guy” artist is set to star in upcoming Simpsons short titled “When Billie Met Lisa,” premiering on Disney+ next Friday, April 22.
Eilish revealed the news in an Instagram Story featuring the cartoon, Simpsons-ized version of herself singing next to the character Lisa Simpson, who’s playing her signature saxophone. According to a press release, Eilish’s brother and collaborator FINNEAS will also guest on the short.
“In ‘When Billie Met Lisa,’ Lisa Simpson is discovered by chart-topping artists Billie Eilish and FINNEAS while searching for a quiet place to practice her saxophone,” the release teases. “Billie invites Lisa to her studio for a special jam session she’ll never forget.”
Eilish joins a long list of musical artists who’ve appeared on The Simpsons, including Green Day, Weezer, The White Stripes, Aerosmith, Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy‘s band name is a Simpsons reference.
North Carolina police are investigating a shooting that left one person injured at the home of rapper DaBaby, who’s birth name is Jonathan Kirk.
According to details shared by the Troutman Police Department on Facebook, officers arrived on scene at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, where they found one person suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound. That person was transported to a medical facility for treatment.
“Due to the ongoing and continuing nature of this investigation, no information as to the names of those involved or the circumstances can be released at this time,” the statement reads.
A local reporter says that he spoke with the Troutman Police chief on Thursday morning, who confirmed “rap star DaBaby was home at the time of the shooting when an unknown gunman entered the residence but wasn’t injured.”
The reporter subsequently shared an image of the home’s gated entrance, highlighting the “private security” that’s guarding the area.
“This is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the community at large,” authorities said.
Maren Morris got to play the role of surprise guest at a John Mayer show in Nashville on Wednesday night, stepping onstage to sing two duets with the star singer-songwriter.
One of those was “Last Train Home,” a song off John’s recent Sob Rock album. Maren provides backing vocals on the studio version, so it’s no surprise they’d choose that tune to perform in a live setting.
Maren also duetted with John at the Grammys in 2021, performing her cross-genre mega-hit, “The Bones.” But even though she’s gotten a few different opportunities to sing with him, Maren’s as starstruck as ever: A fact she made clear during a post to her socials after the show.
“Hello, Maren can’t be reached right now because she went back to 2006 and told her younger self that this would happen in year 2022 and her brain exploded,” the singer wrote, alongside video of her and John onstage together.
“Thank you [John Mayer] for bringing your new light to Nashville & blessing our ears,” Maren continued. “WHAT a band.”
When she’s not being a fan, Maren’s hard at work on her own tour plans: She launches her Humble Quest Tour in June.
