Amazon Studios has released the full trailer for its upcoming film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Being the Ricardos. Nicole Kidman plays the famous redhead, and fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem plays her husband and I Love Lucy co-star/co-producer.
While the first teaser showed Ball supremely confident, and at the top of her game as a TV icon and top producer, the trailer delves into the enormous pressure she was under, not just from television execs, but from fans, the paparazzi and the FBI, the latter of which investigated her when it was revealed she had once registered to vote as a Communist.
There’s also the matter of her marriage to Arnaz, which was picture perfect as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo onscreen, but which in reality became anything but.
Academy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed the drama, which also stars another Oscar winner, Whiplash‘s JK Simmons, as well as Veep Emmy winner Tony Hale.
Amazon says the film is set during a critical week of shooting I Love Lucy, when “Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos.”
Being the Ricardos debuts on Amazon Prime on December 21.
(NEW YORK) — Duchess Meghan has responded to a tabloid publisher’s appeal of a privacy case she won earlier this year, saying she is “standing up for what’s right.”
“It’s an arduous process but, again, it’s just me standing up for what’s right,” Meghan said Tuesday at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit. “At a certain point, no matter how difficult it is, you know the difference between right and wrong, you must stand up for what’s right, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Meghan, who now lives in California with her husband, Prince Harry, and their two children, sued Associated Newspapers Ltd., a U.K. tabloid publisher, in 2019 for alleged copyright infringement, misuse of private information and breach of the Data Protection Act over the publication of a handwritten letter she wrote to her now-estranged father, Thomas Markle, in 2018, ahead of her wedding to Harry.
The letter was reproduced by Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, in five articles in February 2019.
Meghan won in a summary judgement earlier this year, but Associated Newspapers has appealed, requesting that the case go to trial and claiming new evidence shows Meghan knew the letter might be made public.
“The fundamental point turns out to be false on the new evidence,” a lawyer for the publishing group said in court Tuesday. “The letter was crafted specifically with the potential of public consumption in mind because the claimant appreciated Mr. Markle might disclose it to the media.”
The new evidence cited by the publishing group is testimony from Harry and Meghan’s former communications secretary Jason Knauf.
Knauf, who reportedly filed a complaint against Meghan in 2018 over her alleged treatment of aides, claims in a witness statement that Meghan “indicated in messages to me that she recognized that it was possible that Mr. Markle would make the letter public.”
“When the Duchess was considering how to handle Mr. Markle’s increasing public interventions – both for concerns about his welfare and also to protect her reputation – she explored options for written communication that might convince him to stop giving interviews, but that could also set the record straight if he gave them to the media,” Knauf said in the statement provided to Associated Newspapers’ lawyers. “The Duchess wanted to make sure that if the letter became public it would assist with setting out her perspective on the problems with her father’s behavior. In the messages on 24 August she said she felt ‘fantastic’ after writing it and added that: ‘And if he leaks it then that’s on his conscious but at least the world will know the truth. Words I could never voice publicly.'”
Knauf also claims Meghan and Harry later authorized specific cooperation in December 2018 with the authors of “Finding Freedom,” a book about her and Prince Harry’s departure from official royal duties. The book was co-authored by Carolyn Durand, a former ABC News producer, and Omid Scobie, currently an ABC News royal contributor.
Knauf cited an email exchange with Prince Harry regarding an upcoming meeting Knauf had with the authors, and provided Harry a list of topics the authors wanted to discuss. He said he expressed to Harry that “being able to say hand on heart that we did not facilitate access will be important” in the email.
According to Knauf, Harry replied, saying: “I totally agree that we have to be able to say we didn’t have anything to do with it. Equally, you giving the right context and background to them would help get some truths out there. The truth is v much needed and would be appreciated, especially around the Markle/wedding stuff but at the same time we can’t put them directly in touch with her friends.”
Knauf claims Meghan also provided him with a list of background information and bullet points to discuss with the authors, including her happiness about moving to Windsor and her relationship with her father and half-siblings.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers argued during the original privacy lawsuit case that Meghan was trying to manipulate the narrative around her to be more positive, and that she gave or enabled “them [the authors of Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand] to be given a great deal of other information about her personal life, in order to set out her own version of events in a way that is favorable to her.”
Meghan’s lawyers categorically refuted those claims at the time and Meghan did so again Wednesday in a new response to the Associated Newspapers’ appeal.
“It is untrue that my husband and I [or either of us] spoke to the authors for the purposes of the Book. Nor did we meet with them ‘in about late 2018,’ far less did we do so at any time to discuss ‘the ways in which [we] would cooperate in the writing of the Book'(as also alleged. I note that this is effectively confirmed by Mr. Knauf at paragraph 18 of his Witness Statement,” she wrote in a 22-page response to Knauf.
Meghan also stated she did not believe the letter was “likely to reach the public domain,” but “merely recognized that this was a possibility given the extraordinary level of media attention and unusual lens we were all under.”
“To be clear, I did not want any of it to be published, and wanted to ensure that the risk of it being manipulated or misleadingly edited was minimized, were it to be exploited,” she said, adding that writing a letter was the only “viable option” for communicating with her father due to the media intrusion into their relationship.
Meghan also said in her response that it was only until Thomas Markle began including the royal family in his media attacks that senior members of the family expressed concern over wanting him to be stopped. She said she was “eager to please” them, and that the situation was putting significant pressure on Harry.
She said she decided to write the letter in accordance with advice she received from two senior family members, who are not named.
Luke Combs is up for Entertainer of the Year at tonight’s 2021 CMA Awards ceremony, and while he’d like to walk away with the trophy, he knows he’s up against some stiff competition.
“Everybody that’s nominated has made a huge impact on country music, undeniably speaking,” he says. Luke’s contenders in the category are Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton.
But win or lose, Luke says, he’s just excited to be part of country music’s biggest night.
“If I win, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world. If I lose, I’ll still be the happiest guy in the world. So it makes no difference to me,” he continues, adding that for him, the real prize for being one of country music’s biggest names is being able to bring joy to the people who matter most.
“Whether that’s writing songs, or my parents, or my friends: Any opportunity I have to do something cool for them or make their life better, that’s where you fill up your life cup, in my opinion,” Luke reflects. “It’s not buying cars or buying houses. It’s doing things for people you love and having great experiences with them.”
Plus, he says, fans who tune into tonight’s show will get a chance to see him perform a brand-new song.
“I’m nervous about it, and nobody’s ever heard the song before,” he admits. “It’s gonna be an exciting moment for us and something new, something we’ve never done before.”
The 2021 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena tonight at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Nine Inch Nails and Green Day are set to headline the 2022 Shaky Knees festival, held April 29 to May 1 in Atlanta.
The bill also includes My Morning Jacket, Highly Suspect, Spoon, CHVRCHES, Death Cab for Cutie, Billy Idol, Biffy Clyro, The Regrettes and Dirty Honey, among others.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 11, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit ShakyKneesFestival.com.
Shaky Knees returned this past October after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Headliners this year included Foo Fighters, The Strokes and Run the Jewels.
(NEW YORK) — Kyle Rittenhouse took the witness stand on Wednesday to testify in his own defense and began to break down in sobs as he began to describe why he shot the first of three men during a 2020 protest.
Rittenhouse began testifying in a Kenosha County courtroom after telling a judge that he made the decision to testify after consulting with his lawyers.
Under questioning from his attorney Mark Richards, the 18-year-old Rittenhouse began by speaking about his background as a trained lifeguard, a police cadet and a student studying nursing at Arizona State University.
“Did you come to downtown Kenosha to look for trouble?” Richards asked.
Rittenhouse, wearing a blue suit and matching tie, answered, “No.”
Rittenhouse said he went to Kenosha with his sister and friends on Aug. 25, 2020, after seeing online pleas for people to come to the city to help protect it after looting and vandalism broke out after a police officer shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, leaving him paralyzed.
“I went down there to provide first aid,” Rittenhouse testified, adding that he brought along his medical supplies as well as his AR-style semiautomatic rifle.
Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. He claimed he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, in self-defense.
Richards directed Rittenhouse to the event of the Aug. 25, 2020, shooting. He testified that he had witnessed a police officer being hit with a brick, another man getting his jaw broken and had been allegedly threatened by Rosenbaum.
He said he got separated from his friends who were guarding three car lots that had been vandalized. He said he was rushing to put out a fire at one of the car lots when he again encountered Rosenbaum and a man named identified by prosecutors as Joshua Ziminski.
“I hear somebody scream ‘Burn in hell,” said Rittenhouse of when he reached the car lot that was being vandalized. “I reply with ‘Friendly, friendly, friendly to let them know hey, I’m just here to help. I don’t want any problems. I just want to put out the fires if there are any.”
Rittenhouse testified that Ziminski pulled a gun and pointed it at him when he approached the car lot with a fire extinguisher.
“As I’m walking towards to put out the fire, I dropped the fire extinguisher and I take a step back (from Ziminski),” Rittenhouse said. “My plan was to get out of that situation.”
But he said before he could get away, Rosenbaum was allegedly bearing down on him and Ziminski and three other people were blocking his path.
“Once I take that step back, I look over my shoulder and Mr. Rosenbaum was now running from my right side, and I was cornered from in front of me with Mr. Ziminski,” Rittenhouse said.
The teenager then began to break down in sobs on the witness stand, prompting Judge Bruce Schroeder to call a recess.
Following the recess, Rittenhouse regained his composure and returned to the witness stand.
Rittenhouse picked his testimony back up at when he saw Rosenbaum charging toward him.
“Mr. Zimenski stepped towards me. I went to go run south,” Rittenhouse said.
He said Rosenbaum began to chase him he heard Zimenski allegedly tell Rosenbaum “to get him and kill him.”
“As I’m running in that southwest direction, Mr. Rosenbaum throws, at the time I know its a bag now,” Rittenhouse said, adding that he initially thought it was a heavy chain Rosenbaum had been seen carrying earlier in the evening.
“I turn around for about a second while continuing to run and I point my gun at Mr. Rosenbaum,” Rittenhouse said.
Richards asked, “Does that stop him from chasing you?”
Rittenhouse replied, “It does not.”
This is a developing story. Please check, back for updates.
If you fall in the middle of the Venn diagram of “’90s alt rock fans” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm viewers,” then you were probably very excited when the Presidents of the United States of America song “Peaches” was the topic of discussion during a recent episode. Still, you probably weren’t as excited as PUSA frontman Chris Ballew himself.
In the episode, Curb star and creator Larry David attends a concert performed by Teen Wolf and Maze Runner actor Dylan O’Brien, whose set included a cover of “Peaches.” As you might expect, David did not find the performance to be “pretty, pretty good.”
“What would prompt a person to sing such an idiotic song?” David asks O’Brien, who then replies, “Because the way its aged 20 years later, don’t you see how relevant it is now?”
“No, I don’t,” David shoots back.
Upon seeing the episode, Ballew posted the scene on his Instagram, along with the caption, “I am complete now that I have received Larry David’s scorn.”
“Peaches” — which includes the immortal lyric, “Peaches come from a can/They were put there by a man” — appears on PUSA’s 1995 self-titled debut album, which was certified triple-Platinum by the RIAA.
The Presidents continued to release music throughout the ’90s and into the 2000s before announcing their breakup in 2016. Ballew, meanwhile, has been releasing children’s music under the moniker Caspar Babypants.
Mariah Carey’s domination of the holiday season continues: Now she’s bringing you a new way to stay festive while keeping those hunger pangs at bay.
The Queen of Christmas has teamed up with McDonald’s to create The Mariah Menu. Starting December 13, you can get a different free item every day with a one-dollar minimum purchase on the McDonald’s app. Among the items is Mariah’s own personal favorite, a cheeseburger.
The promotion, which runs through December 24, also includes items like a Big Mac, Sausage McMuffin, cookies, apple pie and Chicken McNuggets.
“Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order,” says Mariah in a statement. “Mine is the cheeseburger, and I get it with extra pickles.”
All the Mariah Menu items will come in festive packaging “inspired by Mariah’s love for the holidays and chic style.”
Slash, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and The Grateful Dead‘s Mickey Hart are among the many artists performing during Peace Through Music, an upcoming streaming concert focused on raising funds and awareness for environmental issues.
The virtual event, produced by the Playing for Change organization and the United Nations Population Fund, is set to premiere December 15 at 9 p.m. ET. You can tune in to watch via the Playing for Change YouTube channel.
Other musicians taking part in the event include No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal, Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, Jack Johnson, Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, Ben Harper, Sara Bareilles, The Lumineers and Keb’ Mo’. Additionally, The Band‘s Robbie Robertson will be making a “special appearance” during the stream.
Peace Through Music previously raised $1 million for social justice charities with its 2020 stream, which featured artists including Ringo Starr, Gary Clark Jr., and Carlos and Cindy Blackman Santana.
Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney are early CMA winners…times two! Ahead of tonight’s CMA Awards show, the two stars claimed a pair of trophies for their duet, “Half of My Hometown.”
Those awards are for CMA Musical Event of the Year and CMA Music Video of the Year. It’s the first time that Kelsea has ever won a CMA trophy, while Kenny is a nine-time winner. Their newest wins were announced on ABC’s Good Morning America this morning.
“Half of My Hometown” is the fourth single to come off of Kelsea’s latest album, Kelsea. The song is inspired by the singer’s hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee — a hometown she and Kenny share.
In the Musical Event of the Year category, Kelsea and Kenny were up against an impressive list of contenders, including Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Kane Brown and Chris Young, Miranda Lambert and Elle King, and Luke Bryan and Jordan Davis.
To win Music Video of the Year, they beat out Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane and Chris, and Maren and Ryan.
More winners will be announced tonight at the 2021 CMA Awards, which broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
On Wednesday, Elton John, who is already a British knight, received yet another prestigious honor during a ceremony at Windsor Castle. Prince Charles presented him with the Order of the Companions of Honour, which was first established in 1917 to reward for “outstanding achievement.”
As The Evening Standard reports, Elton attended the ceremony walking with the aid of a cane, following the hip surgery that forced him to postpone his European tour. He received his award not just for his 50-year music career, but also for his work with his Elton John AIDS Foundation.
“I was quite taken aback when I got the letter to say that I’d received it because I know…very few people get it,’ he told the press. “I felt very proud to be British. I felt very blessed and very lucky. I’ve had an amazing life. Music has been my life and I got this for music and for work for charity.”
“I may not look as if I’m 100 percent fit…I’m not quite, but I’m still raring to go,” Elton continued. “And I’ve got a lot more work to do as far as my life goes, so this is just a reminder I think that there’s more to do: more work to do for music, more work to do for charity, and life is great. I’m so lucky.”
To that end, Sky News reports that Elton said he feels that ending AIDS by 2030 is “doable,” adding, “We have the medicines, we have the wherewithal…we need to stop the stigma, and so when I stop touring in 2023, I will hopefully be able to devote more time to this than I can at the moment.”
He added, “This is something that I desperately want to finish off.”
Paul McCartney, Judi Dench, Ian McKellan and J.K. Rowling are other celebrities who’ve been honored with the Order.
