On Friday, Santanareleased their latest studio album, the star-studded Blessings and Miracles, and coinciding with the record’s arrival, a video feature offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album has debuted at the band’s official YouTube channel.
The video features band leader Carlos Santana discussing how some of the project’s various songs came about, footage of him working on some of the tracks, and clips of many of the guest artists talking about the experience of collaborating with the guitar legend.
As previously reported, Blessings and Miracles features Santana teaming up with Steve Winwood, Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett, country star Chris Stapleton, late jazz keyboardist Chick Corea and others.
At the beginning of the video, Carlos — in his trademark cosmically spiritual way — reflects on getting the opportunity to work on new songs with his various talented collaborators.
“This divine intelligence is orchestrating, behind the scenes while I’m sleeping or doing whatever, a [variety of collaborations],” he declares. “And they present themselves to me. So all I have to do is say, ‘Yes, thank you for bringing your song to me. I would love to bathe in your song and compliment whatever is in front of me.'”
Among the album’s tracks is a cover of the Procol Harum classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale” featuring Winwood on vocals and Hamond organ.
In the video, Winwood says, “Carlos’ genius comes in a large part from a wonderful combination of rock music with Latin, Cuban rhythms. I’ve played with Carlos on numerous occasions over the past 50 years, and I’m very excited to be working with him again, still.”
The video also features commentary from Thomas, Hammett and Stapleton discussing their respective collaborations with Santana — “Move,” “America for Sale” and “Joy.”
John Shearer/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS
Lil Nas X has scored his third number-one hit with a song that’s all about how he isn’t a “one-hit wonder.”
After 12 weeks on the chart, “Industry Baby,” featuring Jack Harlow, has finally reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. According to Billboard, what did the trick was the fact that there were two new versions of the song went on sale earlier this month, and all three versions were discounted to 69 cents.
“Industry Baby” follows “Old Town Road” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” on the list of LNX’s chart-toppers. Both “Industry Baby” and “Montero” are from the rapper’s debut album, Montero.
As Billboard notes, “Industry Baby” is Jack Harlow’s first number one, after he got as high as number two last year with “Whats Poppin.” In addition, the song is the fifth number one for Kanye West, who co-wrote and co-produced it. Kanye’s last number-one single on the Hot 100 was “Stronger” back in 2007.
(GLYNN COUNTY, Ga.) — As the trial of three white Georgia men charged with the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery got underway Monday with jury selection, Arbery’s father said he is “focused on justice.”
The first group of prospective jurors was called to the Glynn County, Georgia, Courthouse to begin the arduous task of selecting a panel to hear evidence in the case.
Arbery’s family and their attorneys said they are not taking anything for granted.
“It is a lived experience for Black people in America that we can never take for granted that a white person will be convicted for killing a Black person, no matter how much evidence we have,” Ben Crump, one of the Arbery family’s attorneys, said during a news conference outside the courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia.
‘I know my son was lynched’
Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., said he and his family are relying on the prayers of supporters from across the nation to get them through the trial that the lead prosecutor said could take until Nov. 19 to complete.
“I’m focused on justice,” Arbery Sr. said. “I know my son was lynched, lynched by a white mob.”
The three defendants are Gregory McMichael, 65, a retired police officer, his son, Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 52.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment stemming from the Feb. 23, 2020, fatal shooting of Arbery in the unincorporated Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick.
Prosecutors alleged Arbery was jogging through the neighborhood when Gregory McMichael saw him and thought he resembled a burglary suspect seen on a security video posted online by his neighborhood association. Gregory McMichael and his son allegedly armed themselves and with guns, and with the help of Bryan chased down Arbery in their pickup trucks, prosecutors said.
Travis McMichael allegedly shot Arbery three times with a shotgun after he was cornered and began fighting with Travis McMichael in the street. The fatal encounter was partially video recorded by Bryan on his cellphone and is poised to be the most significant piece of evidence prosecutors plan to present to the jury.
The McMichaels are claiming they were exercising their right to make a citizens’ arrest under a state law that was repealed following Arbery’s death. Travis McMichael is also claiming he shot Arbery in self-defense, according to his attorney.
Bryan claims he was just a witness to the incident, according to his lawyer. But prosecutors allege he was an active participant in the pursuit of Arbery and that he attempted to use his truck to block Arbery’s path.
In addition to state charges, all three men have been indicted on federal hate crime charges.
First 600 prospective jurors questioned
About 600 of the 1,000 prospective jurors who received questionnaires in the case were called to the courthouse on Monday to begin voir dire or the process to whittle down prospective the jury pool to 16 impartial people, including four alternates.
About 20 of the would-be jurors spent Monday afternoon answering general questions as a group before lawyers began questioning individual jurors. While Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley, who was appointed to preside over the Glynn County trial, allowed the media to observe and livestream the general questions of the group, he barred cameras from filming questioning of individual prospective jurors.
During the general questioning of the first batch of prospective jurors, 13 of the 20 said they had already formed an opinion on the guilt or innocence of the accused based on pre-trial publicity.
Before the actual questioning of potential jurors began, a hearing was held on what questions prosecutors and defense attorneys will be allowed to asked candidates.
In addition to how much prospective jurors know about the case and whether they can put that aside and decide the case solely on the evidence presented in court, defense attorneys for the McMichaels proposed 30 additional questions. Many of the defense questions pertained to thoughts on racism, the Black Lives Matter movement and whether would-be jurors believe the Confederate flag — which the McMichaels had on their pickup truck — as a symbol of racism.
Linda Dunikowski, the lead prosecutor in the case, objected to more than half of the defense questions, calling them too broad or unrelated to the evidence, including whether prospective jurors supported the Black Lives Matter movement or participated in any social justice demonstrations before or after Arberry’s death.
“That question has absolutely nothing to do with what the defendants did on Feb. 23, 2020, and participating in a constitutionally allowable peaceful assembly about social justice has absolutely nothing to do with these defendants,” Dunikowski said in court.
Walmsley said he’ll allow some of the defense questions, but ruled most of them, including questions on gun ownership, were too broad or would lead prospective jurors to prejudge the evidence.
Walmsley also said he would not allow the attorneys to ask whether the prospective jurors are “concerned about your safety, your reputation, your livelihood if you were to be a juror on this case.” Robert Rubin, an attorney for Travis McMichael, said that was likely the most important question on the list.
“This is a case that has garnered significant attention in this community as well as around the country, and I have no doubt that the 1,000 or so individuals that were summoned when they received that summons, reacted in some way to that,” Walmsley said. “This is not an easy thing for anybody.”
(NEW YORK) — School routines have been upended amid the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result of recent nationwide supply chain problems, there are new challenges for free lunch programs.
From distribution delays and shortages of fresh foods to cafeteria supplies like trays and tongs, districts across the U.S. have had to rework breakfast and lunch options for students.
In Alabama, Alexander City Schools took to social media earlier this month to warn parents on Facebook that due to a lack of food deliveries from suppliers, their breakfast would be impacted in the coming weeks.
“In previous weeks we have not received our food deliveries due to suppliers who are short on supplies, drivers and even warehouse employees,” the Oct. 9 post said, adding that it opened accounts with outside vendors to get more supplies. “If possible, we ask that you feed your student breakfast prior to school or try to send a snack.”
The schools in Alexander City also had to alter their menus to fit the supplies they were receiving instead and notified parents of the limited menu selections, but confirmed that “at no time were our students not offered or served a meal for lunch or breakfast.”
“This is a situation that is frustrating for you as a parent, and for us as well as our ability to feed our students is being greatly impacted,” the post said.
Tonya Grier, a Child Nutrition Program Director for Dothan City Schools, told GMA its district, which is nearly three hours from Alexander City, has seen similar issues.
“Deliveries from our primary distributor continue to be unpredictable; we’re no longer confident of arrival until we see the truck at the back door. There are still multiple items (food and non-food) that are marked as “out” on our orders, but the vendor is working to find and offer substitutes for items that are in short supply from manufacturers,” Grier told GMA. “We are working to secure products from other distributors, but they too face the same challenges related to supply chain disruptions.”
“Particularly troubling is the shortage of supplies to serve food. We’re used to subbing out food items to make a menu; that happened occasionally even before COVID-19. But if we can’t get trays, cups, and cutlery to serve food to students, that’s a totally different challenge for us,” Grier said. “We serve an average of 9,400 meals a day (breakfast and lunch combined), and the volume of food and supplies needed to do that means going to our local grocery stores and warehouse club is not a viable option for us.”
Dothan Superintendent Dennis Coe told GMA that “the uncertainty of food supplies” has created “an extra layer of stress and anxiety for staff.”
“This exacerbates our existing difficulties in hiring qualified staff,” Coe said of the current issues facing the schools in Dothan.
The school district’s Public Relations Information Officer Megan Dorsey added that with students home for fall break until Oct. 20, they believe “some stress on food shortages” may be alleviated.
In September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.5 billion investment to provide assistance for schools to respond to supply chain disruptions and feed students.
“Throughout the pandemic, school food professionals have met extraordinary challenges to ensure every child can get the food they need to learn, grow and thrive,” the USDA said in a release. “But circumstances in local communities remain unpredictable, and supply chains for food and labor have been stressed and at times disrupted. These funds will support procurement of agricultural commodities and enable USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to enhance the toolbox for school nutrition professionals working hard to make sure students have reliable access to healthy meals.”
School Nutrition Association President, Beth Wallace, hailed the waiver as “a huge relief for school nutrition professionals who are working so hard to serve our students healthy meals in the face of unprecedented challenges.”
Over the past several months, Wallace said their organization has scrambled “to secure foods and supplies for our students’ meals and re-working our menus when our orders have been canceled or deliveries delayed.”
A survey by the SNA heading into the 2021 school year found that 97% of school meal program directors nationwide were concerned about continued pandemic supply chain disruptions. Of those concerned, the SNA said 65% cited it as a “serious” concern.
Issues reported in the survey included “canceled orders, food and supply shortages, product substitutions, price increases, delayed and canceled deliveries often with little or no advance notice.”
Chalkbeat, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education news, started a self-submission form for parents, administrators and districts to report similar food program situations with respect to the supply chain woes.
In Newark, New Jersey’s largest district, Patrick Wall told GMA that shortages extend beyond just food and lunchroom supplies, but to cafeteria workers creating “horrible” lunch options for kids because it’s “difficult to prepare meals from scratch.”
“In response, the district has begun outsourcing some of its meal production. Last month, it made a $3.9 million ’emergency purchase’ of pre-made meals from a vendor,” he said.
Lil Kim is having a busy year hosting a TV series, appearing in a movie and publishing her autobiography. The Queen Bee reveals that the man behind her career now is also a versatile entertainer: Nick Cannon.
The “Magic Stick” rapper made the revelation during the latest episode of Complex’s interview series Hiking with Rappers.
“Nick Cannon, people don’t even know, like he’s one of my best friends. We’ve been best friends for years,” Kim says. “We just shot a movie called Miracle Across 125th Street. I really did that movie for Nick, but I love doing movies.”
“It’s part of my next level,” she added. “Nick is convincing me.”
The Christmas film was shot during the summer and features gospel artists Fred Hammond, Karen Clark Sheard and Kierra Sheard, plus comedians Marsha Warfield, Lunell and Bruce Bruce. Cannon stars in Miracle Across 125th Street as well as serving as executive producer.
Kim has appeared in several films during her 25-year career, including She’s All That, You Got Served, and Zoolander. Currently, she’s hosting the BET+ series American Gangster: Trap Queens, and she’s featured on the Legendz of the Streez tour headlined by Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Jeezy and Gucci Mane.
The Grammy winner has also written her autobiography, The Queen Bee, which will be published November 2.
It took just five hours for Adele‘s new single, “Easy on Me,” to make an impact on the Billboard charts.
Since the cutoff for this week’s Billboard charts was at midnight on October 14, and “Easy on Me” debuted at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday night, the airplay, downloads and sales it received only counted for the five hours prior to midnight.
Still, that was enough for “Easy on Me” to debut at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, based on five hours’ worth of streaming, radio airplay and sales. Following its first full week of data tracking, the song is expected to soar to number one, which would make it her fifth career chart-topper.
Meanwhile, Billboard‘s charts that only measure airplay kept on tallying data through the 17th. As a result,”Easy on Me” debuted at number 14 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart and number 21 on Pop Airplay.
Most impressively, the song debuted at number six on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart. It’s the first time that a non-Christmas song debuted in the top 10 on that chart since 1993.
“Easy on Me” is the lead single from Adele’s new album 30, due out November 29.
Kanye West gave a rare performance Saturday in Italy, and his audience included Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Kanye’s mini-concert in Venice was at the wedding of D’Estree founder Geraldine Guiotte and Tiffany & Co EVP Alexander Arnault, according to TMZ. West performed “Runaway,” “Flashing Lights,” “Come to Life,” and “Believe What I Say.” He was wearing a mask as he did previously during his Donda listening events in the United States, and his voice was muffled during his songs.
One of Kanye’s nicknames is Yeezy, of course, and he’s now legally shortened his name, Deadline reports. After filing on August 24 to change his name, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court approved his petition to switch his name to, simply, Ye, with no middle or last name.
His eighth studio album, released in 2018, was titled, Ye.
Disney is bumping some of its biggest releases along in its 2022 schedule — and some into 2023.
Marvel Studios, which is also owned by ABC News’ parent company, has shifted Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from March 25 to May 6 of 2022. In turn, Thor: Love and Thunder, which had been scheduled to open on May 6, now will premiere on July 8. Meanwhile, the opening of Black Panther‘s sequel, Wakanda Forever, has been moved from July 8 to November 11.
The changes have carried into 2023, as well.
The Marvels, a sequel to Captain Marvel, was bumped from November 11, 2022, to early 2023; Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will now open on July 28, 2023; and the fifth Indiana Jones movie, which had been set to open on July 29, 2022, will now debut on June 30, 2023 — nearly in time for Harrison Ford‘s 81st birthday in July of that year.
Then again, as Indy himself has said, “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.”
The upcoming Starz limited-series The Continental, about the hitman hotel as seen in the John Wick movies, has booked its first big name.
Mel Gibson has joined the cast of the series, ABC Audio has confirmed. The show is set decades before Keanu Reeves came out of retirement to avenge the death of his puppy.
The fourth chapter of the blockbuster Wick franchise is currently in production, as previously reported.
As the series has progressed, it has expanded on the history of The Continental, where contract killers can grab a drink and rest their bleeding heads — provided they don’t kill on company property.
While Ian McShane plays the New York City location’s classy owner Winston Scott in the films, his character will reportedly be re-cast with a younger actor central to the 70s-set series.
According to Lionsgate TV, the show will follow the origins of the hotel, “through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott…dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind.” The studio continues, “Winston charts a deadly course through the New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.”
Oscar-winning Braveheart director Gibson will reportedly play a character named Cormac in the show. It’s his first foray on series TV since the American ex-pat started his acting career in Australia in 1976.
Gibson will next be seen in theaters and on demand November 5 in the thriller Dangerous for Lionsgate, the studio behind the Wick movies and The Continental show.
Coinciding with what would’ve been legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry‘s 95th today comes word that an archival concert album titled Live from Blueberry Hillwill be released on December 17 on CD and digital formats.
The album features performances of 10 songs recorded between July 2005 and January 2006 at the shows that Berry played regularly at the Blueberry Hill restaurant and music club near his hometown of St. Louis.
Live from Blueberry Hill boasts renditions of Berry classics including “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Around and Around,” “Nadine” and, of course, “Johnny B. Goode.”
During his later years, Berry performed 209 times at Blueberry Hill’s The Duck Room, named after Chuck’s famous “duckwalk” stage move. Berry’s backing group for the shows became known as the Blueberry Hill Band, and the lineup for the concerts recorded for the upcoming album included his daughter Ingrid Berry on harmonica, his son Charles Berry Jr. on guitar, bassist and band leader Jimmy Marsala, pianist Robert Lohr and drummer Keith Robinson.
Live from Blueberry Hill can be pre-ordered now. Vinyl versions of the album, pressed either on black vinyl or limited-edition colored vinyl, are due out in Arpil 2022.
In other news, Gibson has marked Berry’s 95th birthday by releasing a new signature Chuck Berry electric guitar that replicates his favorite go-to a 1978 Gibson ES-355 model. The instrument, which is available now, has a list price of $6,999.
Berry died on March 18, 2017, at age 90. His final studio album, Chuck, was issued posthumously that June.
Here’s the Live from Blueberry Hill track list:
“Roll Over Beethoven”
“Rock and Roll Music”
“Let It Rock”
“Carol”/”Little Queenie”
“Sweet Little Sixteen”
“Around and Around”
“Nadine”
“Bio”
“Mean Old World”
“Johnny B. Goode”
