Christina Aguilera booked another big event to her already busy summer — she’s just been announced as this year’s headliner for LA Pride.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the “Beautiful” singer announced, “I’m headlining @LAPride 2022!” She continued, “Join me at the official #LAPrideinthePark music event Saturday, June 11, at LA State Historic Park, a nonprofit event benefiting the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Tickets for the event are now on sale on LA Pride’s official website, with early-bird tickets retailing for $35 while VIP experiences start at $200. More artists will join the lineup, which will be unveiled later.
Christina recently released her all-Spanish EP, La Fuerza, which means “The Strength” in English. She previously teased that her EP is the first of three chapters in what will later be assembled into Christina’s upcoming ninth studio album. That as-yet untitled record will become her second all-Spanish album following her 2000 effort, Mi Reflejo.
When describing her upcoming trilogy, Christina previously told Billboard, “Each body of work represents a different tone and different mood and a different release of the journey that I’m on as a woman… You start with the strength, and we’re going to be more tender and open up to be a bit more vulnerable with the material in the next chapter and then we’ll close on this healing note.”
Christina has yet to reveal the titles and release dates of her two upcoming EPs.
Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand are coming back to the US for their first tour since 2018.
The band, which recently released the best-of collection Hits to the Head, will start a North American trek August 4 in Dallas, Texas, and wrap things up September 1 in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time; a fan pre-sale starts March 16 at 1 p.m. ET.
FF’s latest single, “Curious,” is one of two new tracks on Hits to the Head.
Earlier this month, the “Take Me Out” rockers canceled their planned tour dates in Russia this summer due to that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have spoken to many of our friends in Russia via social media and have encountered unanimous opposition to this violence and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends,” the band said in a Twitter thread. “We know you see the madness of your country’s leadership. We know you do not want war. We do not want war.”
Other artists who’ve canceled shows in Russia in support of Ukraine include Green Day, Imagine Dragons, AJR and Yungblud.
Carrie Underwood and her family spent their spring break on the beach, and she’s got the photos from their tropical trip. The hit singer took to her Instagram Stories to share snaps that show her gazing up at a palm tree swaying in the breeze as wispy clouds pass by. Another finds her three-year-old son Jacob, running toward the water, while her eldest son Isaiah, 7, strolls along the beach “searching for seashells,” she captions.
Now that she’s had time to relax and recharge, Carrie teased on socials that she has an announcement coming on Friday. She also celebrated her 39th birthday on March 10, three days after she and Jason Aldean won Single of the Year with “If I Didn’t Love You” at the ACM Awards.
A new Whitney Houston special is coming next month.
Whitney, A Look Back is set to April 2, the night before the Grammys. The special, chronicling her life and career, will include rare and never-before-seen footage from Entertainment Tonight’s “vault.”
The special will also feature interviews with those closest to Whitney, including Dionne Warwick, Clive Davis, CeCe Winans, Monica and Kelly Price, as well as explore new details about the days leading up to and following her tragic passing 10 years ago at age 48.
Whitney, A Look Back will air Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Netflix has announced a collabo that could make any Grinch’s heart grow three sizes. The streaming service is teaming up with Dr. Suess Enterprises for five new animated series and specials based on the children’s author’s beloved classics.
Included will be adaptations of Horton Hears a Who!, The Sneetches, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose, and Wacky Wednesday.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood veteran Dustin Ferrer will executive produce the lineup.
The streaming service first teamed up with Dr. Suess Enterprises in 2019 for the series adaptation of Green Eggs and Ham, which will launch its second season on Netflix April 8.
Kelsea Ballerini is getting ready to close the chapter on her self-titled album, but not before offering up a special live performance one of her fan favorites from the project.
On Monday, the songstress shared a video on her Instagram of her energetically performing “Needy,” one of the deep cuts on her last album, 2020’s kelsea. The pop-country number allows her bubbly personality to shine on stage as she sings in front of a cheering crowd, “You never needed anybody/ But now you need me/ I was the same, but things have changed/ I’m needy.”
In an accompanying note alongside the video, Kelsea declares, “I couldn’t let the kelsea album chapter come to an end without playing this one (FINALLYYYY) here’s neeeeedy!!!!”
In the comments, the song’s co-writer Julia Michaels writes, “Awwwwww our song babyyyyyy,” while Kelsea’s husband, Morgan Evans, praises, “Damm, this is sick.”
As Kelsea prepares to bid adieu to her previous album, she’s been actively posting videos and videos on socials from writing retreats for her new project.
(BOISE, Idaho) — A bill that seeks to prevent most abortions from occurring in Idaho has just passed in the state legislature and is heading to the governor’s desk.
The bill is the first in the country to be modeled after the recent law passed in Texas that bans abortions after six weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant.
Idaho’s bill prohibits abortions after six weeks and allows the father, grandparents, siblings, uncles or aunts of the fetus to sue a medical provider who performs the procedure.
Family members can sue for a minimum of $20,000 within four years of an abortion. While a rapist wouldn’t be allowed to sue, their family members could.
The state House of Representatives passed the bill Monday night 51-14, almost exclusively along party lines, after the state Senate passed the bill earlier this month.
“This bill makes sure that the people of Idaho can stand up for our values and do everything in our power to prevent the wanton destruction of innocent human life,” state Rep. Steven Harris, a Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement following the vote.
The bill is now heading to Republican Gov. Brad Little’s desk to await his signature.
Little signed a similar “fetal heartbeat” bill into law last year that bans abortions after a fetus’ heartbeat is detected, and he is expected to sign this one as well.
The governor’s office did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
There are a few differences between the Idaho bill and the Texas law.
Both allow for exceptions in the case of a medical emergency, but the Texas law does not allow for exceptions in cases of rape or incest whereas the Idaho bill does allow for such exceptions.
However, women who want an abortion under those exceptions are required to file a police report and show it to the medical provider before the abortion.
Another difference between the two pieces of legislation is that the Idaho bill only allows for certain family members of the fetus to sue the medical provider who performed the abortion, but the Texas law allows almost any private citizen to sue any Texas doctor who performs an abortion, intends to perform an abortion or helps a woman receive an abortion.
Kim Clark, senior attorney at Legal Voice — a non-profit organization advocating for the legal rights of women, girls and LGBTQ people in the Northwest — said this could lead to women in abusive relationships being further harassed by their partners.
“This essentially makes the state complicit in intimate partner violence,” Clark told ABC News. “Allowing a member of the person’s family to bring a claim, that could include an abuser where the survivor hasn’t reported the assault.”
She continued, “When women are unable to access abortion care, rates of homicide or harm to other children can skyrocket.”
A November 2021 study from Tulane University in New Orleans found more pregnant women die by homicide every year than other pregnancy-related causes.
Compared to non-pregnant women of the same age, pregnant women were 16% more likely to die by homicide, the study found.
Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, the Idaho programs manager for Legal Voice, said she doesn’t think lawmakers are trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies, pointing out that the Idaho House on Monday night also voted down a bill that would allow women to receive a six-month maximum supply of contraceptive prescriptions, up from three months.
“The same body voted down a contraception bill that would allow women to get birth control for up to six months,” she told ABC News. “They don’t really care about preventing unwanted pregnancies. This is about political control.”
Following Dolly Parton‘s surprising withdrawal from consideration for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, at least one famous producer seems to be stepping up to the plate to help her achieve her dreams of making a rock album.
In her statement, the country icon said she didn’t feel she’d “earned the right” to be in the Rock Hall, but went on to say, “This has…inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do!”
Steve Albini, whose production work includes albums by Nirvana, Pixies, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Laura Jane Grace, Urge Overkill and countless others, responded to Dolly’s statement. He wrote in a Twitter message, “Dolly Parton do you like analog recording.”
Fans were excited at the prospect of Albini being involved with the project, with one writing, “Album of the year potential. Please make this happen.” Another wrote, “oh god an albini produced dolly album is everything i could ever hope for.”
Still another wrote, “I’m ready to pre-order all formats including the in-studio making-of documentary on 4K.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Lovers of the great outdoors have a friend in Carole King.
The legendary singer/songwriter is in Washington, D.C., to speak as a witness at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, March 16, focusing on wildfire response that also will feature testimony from U.S. Forest Service officials, as well as environmental experts and advocates.
The hearing, which will be overseen by California Congressman Ro Khanna, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Environment, will look at ways for the federal government to improve its wildfire preparation measures, while discussing the toll wildfires are taking in recent years as they have increased in severity due to such factors as drought, global warming and other issues.
King is a longtime Idaho resident and land conservation advocate who has worked for decades with scientists, environmental supporters and organizations to promote the preservation of the wilderness and biodiversity in the ecosystem of the northern Rocky Mountains.
The hearing, which is titled “Fighting Fire with Fire: Evaluating the Role of Forest Management in Reducing Catastrophic Wildfires,” will take place at 10 a.m. ET. The event will be livestreamed on the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s website and YouTube channel.
King posted a photo on her Facebook page of her with some other environmental advocates in Washington, D.C., in advance of the hearing.
Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton are among the many artists taking part in a new documentary chronicling country music through the perspective of Black artists.
Directed by Joshua Kissi, For Love & Country will feature performances and interviews from the new generation of Black artists helping to shape country music as they share their personal stories.
“There are certain barriers that are there. One way to always get past it is great music,” Jimmie remarks in the trailer.
“We deserve to be here. Our dreams are valid,” adds Mickey.
Breland, currently in the top five on country radio as a collaborator on Dierks Bentley‘s “Beers on Me” says, “I just knew that there was a lane that was open and if the lane is open for one, then it’s open for everybody.”
Blanco Brown, hit songwriter Shy Carter, Brittney Spencer — who recently made her ACM Awards debut performing “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” with Brothers Osborne — and Grammy nominees Allison Russell and Valerie June are among the other artists who appear in the doc.
For Love & Country premieres on Amazon Music and Prime Video on April 7.
