Old Dominion are up for Vocal Group of the Year at tonight’s CMA Awards, and it’s far from the first time. They’re five-time nominees in the category, and they’re on a three-year winning streak, taking home the trophy at every awards show since 2018.
But that doesn’t mean the nomination gets less special, the group says. In fact, it’s an even bigger deal to them now than it was the first time around.
“Every time we get nominated, it means more and more each time,” band member Matthew Ramsey explains. “I think when it first happened, I thought, ‘It’ll never be as special as that,’ but I was wrong. Every time it happens now, it’s just an amazing thing.”
As the trophies keep stacking up, the band mates will have to find new spots in their house to keep their CMAs hardware — but the guys of Old Dominion joke that guitarist and keyboardist Trevor Rosen already has that problem figured out, as he’s got a “Trevor Rosen Museum” in his basement.
“Yeah, it’s [the] Trevor Rosen Museum, so there definitely is an Old Dominion wing to that which is pretty sizeable,” Trevor elaborates with a laugh. “It’s a great display of hockey sticks and guitars, things like that. Former glory days to current glory days, you would say.”
In addition to being nominees, Old Dominion are performing their single “I Was on a Boat That Day” at the 2021 CMAs. The show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Adele‘s TV special One Night Only airs Sunday night, but we’ve got the first look at it now.
In addition to preview clips of Adele belting out “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall” on a gorgeous stage at LA’s Griffith Observatory, CBS has also released a clip of the singer’s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, which gives serious flashbacks to Oprah’s chat with Prince Harry and Megan Markle earlier this year.
In the clip, Adele explains to Oprah that she feels she needs to start all her concerts by singing “Hello,” explaining with a laugh, “It’d be a bit weird if that song was halfway through a set!”
When Oprah asks Adele what significance the song has to her at this point in her life, Adele explains, “It was the beginning of me trying to find myself and I hadn’t figured out yet what I had to do for that.”
She adds, “It’s just a song about, like, ‘I’m still here,’ like, ‘I still exist,’ in every aspect of my life.”
In the trailer for One Night Only, Adele says, “I chose to do this sort of comeback this way with the new album, just to celebrate how special the album [is]; the process of making the album has been really special.”
She also notes that doing it in LA was apropos, since LA is where she “had to recover from everything that happened in my life over the past few years” — no doubt referring to her divorce.
Adele One Night Only airs Sunday night at 8:30 pm. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS. Adele’s new album, 30, arrives next week.
U2 frontman Bono is among the music artists and other entertainment industry figures who will take part in keynote events during Variety‘s Music for Screens Virtual Summit, which will run from December 1 to December 3.
The summit will focus on a variety of topics involving music in media, including the revival of musicals on TV and in film, music in superhero-themed projects, video games as a launchpad for music artists, and more.
Bono will participate in a keynote conversation about the making of the new U2 tune “Your Song Saved My Life,” which is featured in upcoming animated film Sing 2. The event, which is scheduled for December 3 at 9:30 a.m. ET, also will feature Sing 2 writer and director Garth Jennings.
Other music artists and celebs taking part in the summit’s keynote events include Jennifer Hudson, will.i.am, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anderson .Paak, Colleen “Vitamin C” Fitzpatrick, and The National‘s Adam Dessner, Bryce Dessner and Matt Berninger.
(ATLANTA) — The man suspected of shooting and killing a police officer in Georgia last week was found dead Tuesday night.
Police sources told WSB-TV, an ABC affiliate, that Jordan Jackson was found dead in a Clayton County apartment complex from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Tuesday night. Henry County Police Department confirmed his death on its Facebook page.
Clayton County police were tipped off to Jackson’s presence at the Chateau Forest Apartments in Riverdale at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, WSB-TV reported.
The complex was put on lockdown after investigators found Jackson’s body.
“Jordan Jackson was found hiding out with some friends in Clayton County,” the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “After barricading himself in a room, SWAT Teams addressed the situation utilizing tactful methods which resulted in authorities being feet away from Jordan. The suspect took his own life seconds before being captured.”
On Nov. 4, Henry County police officer Paramhans Desai, 38, was responding to a domestic dispute and attempting to arrest Jackson when he was shot. Desai then fled the scene, according to police.
Desai was pronounced dead on Monday night at Grady Memorial Hospital after succumbing to his injuries, the police department said in a Facebook post. He was married with two children.
On Sunday, Georgia investigators and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal offered a $60,000 reward for information about the suspect, who police later said was Jackson.
(NEW YORK) — Prosecutors are taking over the case of a 14-year-old New Jersey girl who has been missing for nearly a month.
Jashyah Moore, 14, was last seen around 10 a.m. on Oct. 14 at Poppie’s Deli Store in East Orange.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II called her disappearance “particularly troubling.”
“Our society cannot ignore the fact that a 14-year-old girl, otherwise normal in all respects as far as we can tell, would disappear without a trace on a sunny day on a central thoroughfare,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has superseded the investigation and now will be the lead agency, Stephens said, though East Orange police, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, New Jersey State Police and Orange police will continue to be involved.
“This case cries out and demands our attention,” Stephens said.
There’s still little information about the mysterious case. When asked about surveillance video, Stephens told reporters Wednesday, “There is video, and we’ve captured all that we can and will continue to go through that.”
He added that investigators “have gone through cell phones of anyone associated.”
Moore’s desperate family held a search party Tuesday night.
“Please, my daughter is 14 years old, she does not deserve this, she did not run away,” her mother, Jamie Moore, told ABC New York station WABC on Tuesday. “I love you Jashyah. If you see this, don’t be scared. Mommy is going to find you.”
(BENTON HARBOR, Mich.) — Construction has finally begun in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to replace the lead-tainted service lines that have been poisoning the predominantly Black community’s water supply for years.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer went the western Michigan city on Tuesday to visit a construction site where the first lead service lines are being replaced after the governor previously announced a commitment to remove 100% of the lead service lines in 18 months.
“I am proud of the progress we are making, and I look forward to much more,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I am confident that we can meet our goal to replace 100% of lead service lines in Benton Harbor within 18 months and utilize the $1.3 billion headed our way from the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill specifically for water to protect safe drinking water in every community.”
Whitmer said she attended a community meeting to hear “directly from people on the ground doing the work to help residents.”
“We will not rest until every parent feels confident to give their kid a glass of water, knowing that it is safe,” the governor added.
Some residents have expressed remorse that the government action and attention to the water crisis is coming too late.
Elevated levels of lead have been detected in the Benton Harbor’s water system since at least 2018, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council petition filed in September to the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of local advocacy groups and residents.
Residents live with “significant and dangerous levels of lead contamination three years after the contamination was first discovered with no immediate solution in sight,” the petition stated, calling it an “environmental justice” issue.
Some 45% of Benton Harbor residents live in poverty and 85% are Black, according to the most-recent Census data. The crisis has also shined a harsh spotlight on the real-world impacts of the nation’s dilapidated infrastructure as lawmakers in the nation’s capital are mulling over the Biden administration’s $1 trillion “Build Back Better” infrastructure plans.
The estimated cost to replace 100% of the lead service lines in Benton Harbor is $30 million, according to Whitmer’s office. So far, state lawmakers have earmarked some $18.6 million, but a deficit of some $11.4 million remains. Whitmer has previously called on the state legislature to secure this money using the remaining federal funds sent to Michigan through the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan.
“We need to get the lead out of Benton Harbor ASAP and this funding will replace approximately 100 lead service lines right now,” Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad said in a statement Tuesday. “My focus is on protecting the residents of this great city and I look forward to 100% of the lead lines being replaced on an aggressive timeline of 18 months to make sure families have access to safe drinking water.”
Last month, Whitmer signed an executive directive that sought to use all available tools to tackle the Benton Harbor water crisis. Some of the actions the directive takes includes ensuring residents continue to have access to free bottled water until further notice (though the distribution of this water has faced some hurdles), offering free or low-cost lead-related services such as drinking water testing kits, and more.
Lead poisoning can bring a slew of detrimental health impacts, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns, including: abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, loss of appetite, pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet and weakness.
Moreover, census data from Benton Harbor further indicates that nearly 28% of the population is children under 18 years old. The CDC states on its website that lead generally affects children more than it does adults, and children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower levels than adults.
The Canadian singer has dropped her new single, “Bite Me,” her first release on Travis Barker‘s DTA Records. She’ll give the song it’s late-night TV debut tonight on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden.
On the punk/pop track, Avril comes out swinging, dropping F-bombs and singing, “You should’ve known better, better to f*** with someone like me/ Hey you, forever and ever you’re gonna wish I was your wifey/ Should’ve held on, should’ve treated me right/ I gave you one chance, you don’t get it twice/ Hey you, we’ll be together never, so baby, you can bite me.”
Avril announced recently that she’d signed to the Blink-182 drummer’s label. In a statement, she notes that the first time that she and Barker worked together was 15 years ago, on her album The Best Damn Thing.
“I have really enjoyed watching him develop into the producer that he is today,” she says. “We spent a lot of time writing songs and working on this record together, and signing to his record label, DTA felt like the perfect home for me and my new music.”
Avril continues, “Travis understands my vision as a musician, my creative process as an artist, and my goals at this stage of my career. I am excited to be dropping ‘Bite Me.’ It’s an anthem about knowing your worth, what you deserve, and not giving someone a second chance who doesn’t deserve you.”
Barker, meanwhile, calls Avril is “a true bada** and an icon as a performer, songwriter, and presence,” adding, “I can’t wait for everybody to experience the incredible music she’s about to drop.”
Grillo on the “Lamborghini: The Legend” set — Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images
Frank Grillo has had a busy couple of months. He’s in theaters and can be seen on demand in the crime thriller Ida Red opposite Oscar winner Melissa Leo, as well as on Disney+ — in animated form — as his MCU character Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in Marvel Studios’ What If…?
The actor recently returned from Italy, where he shot the film Lamborghini: The Legend, in which he portrays the man behind the iconic supercar. He replaced Antonio Banderas in the lead role, and the Bronx, New York-born Grillo tells ABC Audio that he was thrilled to get into the driver’s seat.
“First of all, I am in Italy, all over Italy, playing Ferruccio Lamborghini, with Gabriel Byrne and Mira Sorvino,” Grillo enthuses.
“Bobby Maresco wrote the script. He won the Oscar for Crash and Million Dollar Baby. I was surrounded by Oscars, and then there was me,” he says, smiling. “And, you know, look, to go and do a biopic and play this person and have his family around, it was spectacular. [It] really reinvigorated my appreciation for acting.”
Having the last name Grillo also helped, he maintains. “Brother…listen, I couldn’t fall down and not be in a great restaurant or a great bar, people were taking me everywhere,” he notes. “And, you know, I’m Italian, so it was great!”
As for reprising his MCU role in What If…?, the Purge series veteran says, cracking up, “It was a hoot, man! I got to see myself in a cartoon, and they did a pretty good job. They got the hair [right]! Somehow, I’m a lot taller and younger and better looking, but whatever, man, I’m still in it.”
Luke Bryan‘s mom, LeClaire, is a bona fide social media star in her own right, thanks in part to the fact that she frequently finds herself the butt of the joke in family prank wars.
LeClaire is so popular that Luke’s fans might even have hoped she’d make an appearance at the 2021 CMA Awards, which her superstar son is hosting solo this year. And while his mom won’t be appearing on the big stage this year, Luke says it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
“We did have a moment where we were gonna maybe incorporate her. We were gonna have some fun with her, but it didn’t work out,” Luke admits with a giggle. “You never know — if they let me back next year, we might turn it over to Mama.”
In the meantime, Luke knows he’s got some big shoes to fill. There hasn’t been a solo host at the CMA Awards in almost two decades, and for a streak of years, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood helmed the show. During their tenure as hosts, Brad and Carrie were known not only for their hilarious onstage antics, but also for their frequent costume changes, and Luke says he might try to outdo them in the latter category.
“We’ve tabulated how many times they have done that, and I’m going to one-up them,” he hints. “Whether it’s just a tie here — just nuances — a pocket square here. That’s a wardrobe change.”
The 2021 CMA Awards airs on ABC tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
50 Cent has joined the star-studded Expendables franchise featuring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren. Those actors are famous for their many action films, yet Fiddy says for his role in The Expendables 4, he deserves top billing.
“This is my movie. Everybody else just in it,” the rapper/actor, born Curtis Jackson, comments in an Instagram post.
The BMF executive producer posted five photos of himself on the set, including one aiming a rifle, and a few others posing with a tank. “If i was you i would roll with me because i’m not slowing down,” he declares. “If you in the way you getting rolled over.”
The Expendables series, about an elite group of mercenaries, began in 2010, followed by sequels in 2012 and 2014. The Expendables 4 is scheduled to be released in 2022. 50 Cent was originally cast in the first Expendables movie; however, he turned down the role to record his fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct, which he executive produced with Eminem and Dr. Dre.
As previously reported, Eminem appears in BMF as the notorious FBI informant White Boy Rick. Jackson was furious with Starz for prematurely releasing Sunday’s episode, which he directed, a week early. Last week, following reports that Lionsgate was considering selling Starz, Fiddy commented, “I’m gonna look into buying the Starz network.”
