(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston 5, Colorado 1
Carolina 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT)
Calgary 3, Winnipeg 1
Montreal 5, Toronto 2
Vancouver 5, Seattle 2
TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Baylor 66, Oklahoma St. 64
UCLA 66, Arizona St. 52
Ohio St. 80, Indiana 69
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Cardi B made history as the first female rapper to have three Diamond single certifications from the RIAA in December, but she’s not solely relying on her music sales.
The “I Like It” rapper has numerous endorsements, and recently introduced her vodka-infused whipped cream, Whipshots. Whether she’s recording a song or selling a product, Cardi says everything has to be high quality.
“If it was just mediocre, people would just be like, ‘ah, whatever.’ Things are always going to sell when you have hardcore fans, but I wanted [Whipshots] to be big. Like, bigger than life and that is always the goal,” Cardi tells Complex. “I love my product. It’s delicious and it’s very strong and everybody keeps giving me positive feedback.”
She continues, “This is not only dessert. I wanted a party starter. I wanted something that is like, when I’m in Miami, I start giving [out] these Whipshots on a yacht and all of these girls start having fun. [Or] when I’m in my grandmother’s house and we try to get the party lit because my family likes to have a good time.”
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old entertainer has been the victim of social media attacks, and last month, she was awarded nearly $3 million in damages in her libel lawsuit against blogger Tasha K. She is also protecting her three-year-old daughter Kulture by making her Instagram account private after numerous hateful remarks.
Cardi says her loving fans help her maintain a positive spirit despite the haters.
“Every single time I feel like the whole world is against me, they let me know that, no, there’s still a whole group of people that love the f*** out of me,” she notes. “And hey, I got 120 million followers, like, hello!”
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If you had any doubt Lady Gaga was meant to play the villainous Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci — think again. One of the film’s producers revealed Gaga was part of the movie from the start.
“We sent the script to Gaga first because it is Patrizia’s story,” producer Gianina Scott revealed in a behind-the-scenes clip, according to ELLE. “And she totally connected with it. After we had her, we knew that we could get an amazing cast to join her in this crazy journey.”
Gaga also shared her thoughts on the drama and praised director Ridley Scott‘s vision, saying he “understands the emotional quotient of a script and he makes room for humanity and for humor. He gave us the space for it to be fun, with a not-so-funny subject.”
Scott also shares his insights in another behind-the-scenes interview, saying while Gaga was hooked from the start, it’s not usually that easy. “The hardest single thing to do is get what you want to do on paper,” Scott said. “Cast will come flocking to a great script with a good director.”
All these interviews and other bonus content will be made available on February 22, when House of Gucci is released on DVD on Blu-Ray. The disc will also feature an exclusive chapter called “The Lady of the House,” which will break down Gaga’s interpretation of Patrizia, as well as “her powerhouse charisma and unwavering dedication breathe life into this complex character,” per the press release.
Gaga was famously predicted to score her second Best Actress Oscar nod for her role in House of Gucci, but did not appear among this year’s nominees.
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Last week, Puscifer announced their first U.S. tour in support of the band’s latest album, Existential Reckoning. The record dropped in October of 2020, several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent the world into its own existential reckoning.
Reflecting on Existential Reckoning, frontman Maynard James Keenan tells ABC Audio he feels the album “definitely reflected the time” of its release.
“I do have a lot of conversations with my friends, check in on ’em, see where they’re at,” Keenan shares. “I feel like that album definitely reflected a median feeling between most of my close friends. I feel like like we kind of captured that.”
With the pandemic now nearing the end of its second year, Keenan thinks Existential Reckoning hasn’t lost its relevance.
“That album’s still unfolding for us, still, right now,” he says.
Existential Reckoning is the most recent album Keenan’s released, following A Perfect Circle‘s Eat the Elephant in 2018 and Tool‘s Fear Inoculum in 2019. During the pandemic, Keenan says he hasn’t been working on new music as much as he’s been focused on his other career: wine-making.
“I think more than the audio, visual, three-dimensional arts, instead I’ve kind of turned more toward just the farming,” he says. “Just having that connection to with seasons and harvest, I feel like I kind of turned a little bit more toward growing — literally.”
Puscifer’s tour launches in June. Keenan’s currently on tour with Tool.
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Last season on American Idol, Benson Boone got a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, but then dropped out in the middle of the competition. Now he’s signed to a record label owned by Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons and has a hit with “Ghost Town” — which is about the best outcome he could’ve hoped for.
Boone tells ABC Audio he didn’t decide to quit Idol until “far after the first round.” He notes, “When it started, I was just kind of like excited to be there and just having a good time, enjoying what I was doing. But as I went on…realizing that winning could be a possibility, that’s when it kicked in that maybe I don’t fully know why I’m there.”
It was after he dropped out that Dan Reynolds contacted him. Benson, who says he’d been “listening to Imagine Dragons’ music my whole life,” tells ABC Audio, “He reached out to me just over Instagram and said he loves my vibe and my voice, and he would love to work with me.”
“I had never written any of my own music, so I flew out to Vegas for like three days to work with him,” Benson continues. “At the end of that, he said he really liked working with me and he really liked my personality, and so I literally packed up and moved to Vegas the next day. It was crazy! But yeah, he, like, has been my mentor through all of this.”
Seems as though Dan was a pretty good mentor: Benson’s hit “Ghost Town” is now on the radio airplay charts right alongside Imagine Dragons’ latest hit, “Enemy,” from the soundtrack of the animated series Arcane.
On Friday, Benson released the follow-up song to “Ghost Town,” “Room for 2.” He says the song is “basically just a journal entry about this girl…who makes me feel like I’d do anything for her.”
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Baby number four is on the way for Michael Buble and his wife Luisana Lopilato.
According to TMZ, the baby news is revealed in a new music video for Buble’s song “I’ll Never Not Love You,” due out Tuesday. In a clip from the forthcoming video, the Canadian singer gets pulled out of a dream sequence in a grocery store. As they walk out with their children, Lopilato’s baby bump is on full display.
Buble, 46, and Lopilato, 34, who married in 2011, are already parents to three-year-old daughter Vida and sons Elias, five, and Noah, eight.
Buble teased “I’ll Never Not Love You” on Saturday as the sequel to his hit “Haven’t Met You Yet.”
“‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ was the beautiful start of a true romance,” he tweeted. “10 years later, the story continues in the extraordinary sequel ‘I’ll Never Not Love You’ 2.22.22.”
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On his new double album, Macon, Georgia, Jason Aldean does some things he’s never tried before. First of all, the project was released across two discs, the first of which came out last November as Macon and the second of which, Georgia, will arrive in April.
It’s also the tenth album of Jason’s career, so he wanted to do something special. He’s never done a greatest hits package or a live album, and while Macon, Georgia doesn’t qualify as either, it does include some elements of both. Each disc ends with five live tracks of Aldean classics like “Amarillo Sky,” “Big Green Tractor” and “Any Ol’ Barstool.”
“The idea was to at least pull one live song from each of the previous nine albums,” the singer says. “Obviously, one album will have two off it. But after this long [of a career], you know, you’re trying to just get creative and find new ways to give your fans something different that you haven’t given them yet.”
But don’t expect a full greatest hits album from Jason anytime soon. “We’ve never done a greatest hits record. That’s been by choice for me,” he points out.
“I hope I got a lot more hits in the tank, so I don’t want to put out a Greatest Hits yet, because I don’t feel like I’m finished,” he reflects, but adds that his creative approach to structuring his new album was his way of giving listeners a little bit of that ‘greatest hits’ feel.
“I felt like that was sort of a way to do that, a little bit,” Jason explains.
Georgia, the second half of the country star’s double album, is due out on April 22.
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The Who will play a special acoustic show on March 25 at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2022 edition of the annual series of benefit concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust that singer Roger Daltrey helps organize.
The event will mark the band’s first concert since February 2020, and will take place a month before the recently announced The Who Hits Back! tour of North America kicks off.
The acoustic show will feature Daltrey and Who guitarist Pete Townshend accompanied by two members of The Who’s touring band — guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend and backing vocalist Billy Nicholls — as well as by bassist Phil Spalding, percussionist Jodie Linscott, keyboardist Geraint Watkins, violinist Charlie Hart and accordion player Andy Cutting.
The concert will feature a mix of Who classics, rarities and fan favorites. The show’s opening act will be The Wild Things, a British rock group whose upcoming album is being produced by Pete Townshend.
The 2022 Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts will run from March 21 through March 27. This year’s other headlining acts include Yungblud on March 23, Madness on March 24, Liam Gallagher on March 26 and Ed Sheeran on March 27. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My wonderful team and I have pulled out all the stops to make this 20th series of shows for Teenage Cancer Trust the best ever,” Daltrey says. “The Who will be back on stage this year at the Hall alongside some wonderful talent. After the last two unbelievably difficult years, young people with cancer deserve everything we can do for them.”
Tickets for the shows go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 25, at 9 a.m. local time at RoyalAlbertHall.com.
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With nine women remaining and hometowns right around the corner, Monday’s episode of The Bachelor saw Clayton deciding on the three women whose families he’d meet, leading to one of the most heartbreaking eliminations of the season.
First, two of the ladies had a score to settle after Mara, angry over losing a one-on-one date to Sarah — who already had one — warned Clayton that the 23-year-old wasn’t ready for marriage. Clayton, without revealing his source, confronted Sarah with the accusation and, after an emotional conversation, gave her the date rose.
Back at the hotel, Mara told Sarah that she was the one who approached Clayton, leading to an argument between the two. The drama ended at the rose ceremony where Mara — along with Eliza — was sent home.
The action then moved to Vienna, Austria, where a Sarah, Teddi, Genevieve, Rachel and Gabby took turns opening up with an intimate couples’ therapy session. The task proved to be too daunting for Genevieve, forcing Clayton to send her home.
At the conclusion, Clayton was rocked by the therapist’s observation that one of the remaining ladies wasn’t being honest with her answers.
After speaking with each of them at the afterparty, Clayton determined that Sarah was the guilty party and sent her packing as well. He rejoined the others with the announcement that he couldn’t give any of them the date rose.
Elsewhere, a pair of one-on-one dates ended with Susie and Serene taking home date roses.
That led to the most heartbreaking rose ceremony yet, as Teddi was sent packing.
Here are the four women whose families Clayton will meet:
Gabby, 30, an ICU nurse from Denver, Colo.
Rachel, 25, a flight instructor from Clermont, Fla.
Serene, 26, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, Okla.
Susie, 28, a wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Va.
The Bachelor returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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(NEW YORK) — The United States continues to warn that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day” amid escalating tensions in the region, with President Joe Biden telling reporters Friday he’s “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade.
More diplomacy seemed possible, though, with Biden agreeing “in principle” Sunday to meet with Putin, as long as Russia didn’t invade, but the Kremlin on Monday said talk of a summit was “premature.”
In an address to the Russian public on Monday, Putin announced that he’s recognizing two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region as independent: the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Biden swiftly responded to Putin with sanctions. The White House said Biden will issue an executive order banning “new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.” The order “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any plans to invade and reiterated its demands that the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.
Here’s how the news is developing Tuesday. All times Eastern:
Feb 22, 5:49 am
Top Russian officials dismiss the West’s sanctions
Top Russian officials on Tuesday morning dismissed new sanctions being imposed by Western countries for Moscow’s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with state-owned television channel Russia-24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the country was already “used to” sanctions and that more would be imposed regardless of what Moscow does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” Lavrov said. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
“They already threaten all possible sanctions. Hellish, or as they say there, ‘the mother of all sanctions,'” he added. “Well, we’re used to this. The president already noted our position, we know that sanctions will be introduced all the same, in any case. With a basis, without a basis.”
Meanwhile, the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed Lavrov’s sentiments during an ongoing session of the lower house, known as the State Duma.
“Yes, sanctions hinder our development. But they would happen anyway. They would happen anyway even if that decision hadn’t been taken,” Volodin told lawmakers, adding that there are “more important problems.”
“Yesterday, our president stopped a war,” he said. “It’s not a question of territory — it’s a question of the lives of millions of citizens.”
Feb 22, 5:10 am
US embassy staff return to Ukraine after spending night in Poland
U.S. embassy staff who remained in Ukraine will return to the country on Tuesday after spending the night in Poland amid fears of a Russian invasion, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
Personnel will return to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had relocated operations from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. But they are poised to move back to Poland at any point, the official said.
Feb 22, 4:58 am
Russia-backed separatists claim Ukraine is still staging attacks
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have continued to accuse Ukrainian government forces of attacks.
The separatists in a breakaway region known as Donbas made another unverified claim Tuesday morning that three civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.
Separatist leaders posted photographs of a burned-out minivan on a road in their territory that they alleged was the vehicle blown up by a Ukrainian “diversionary group.” The claim is unverified and resembles other allegations that have been rapidly debunked.
Meanwhile, a top separatist military commander accused Ukrainian government forces of continuing to shell the area.
The latest claims raise the possibility that Russia is still building a pretext to launch an attack on Ukrainian government troops, even after recognizing the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Feb 22, 4:33 am
‘World cannot be silent,’ Ukrainian defense minister warns
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov took to Twitter early Tuesday to dismiss Moscow’s recognition of the Russian-controlled breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine, saying the move amounts only to a recognition of the Kremlin’s “own aggression.”
“We remain confident and calm,” Reznikov tweeted. “We are ready and able to defend ourselves and our sovereignty.”
But he also issued a warning: “World cannot be silent.”
“Sanctions?” he tweeted. “Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?”
Feb 22, 2:54 am
Putin’s recognition of separatists’ independence is ‘shameful act,’ Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken early Tuesday called Russia’s move to recognize separatist regions in Ukraine as independent a “predictable” act.
“Russia’s move to recognize the ‘independence’ of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act,” he said on Twitter.
Blinken is scheduled to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington on Tuesday.
Feb 22, 2:03 am
Blinken speaks with Ukraine’s Kuleba ahead of Tuesday meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, noting the Biden administration’s “swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize Ukraine’s separatists’ regions as independent.
“They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement late Monday.
Blinken and Kuleba are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Washington.
Kuleba earlier said he spoke with Blinken about sanctions.
“I underscored the need to impose tough sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Feb 21, 11:58 pm
Ukrainian envoy says UN is infected with ‘virus’ spread by Kremlin
After the Russian envoy spoke at the U.N. Security Council’s emergency meeting Tuesday night, Ukraine’s envoy began his remarks by saying he was afraid to take off his mask not because of COVID-19 but “because of the virus that has so far no vaccine — the virus that hates the United Nations and the virus that is spread by the Kremlin.”
That “virus” has infected the U.N. and threatens to kill it, Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said in a stark warning.
“The United Nations is sick, that’s a matter of fact,” he said. “It’s been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus? It is in the hands of the membership.”
Kyslytsya warned it’s not just the U.N. that he believes is under threat. During his remarks, he held up a paper that had a copy of the Kremlin’s decree recognizing Russian-backed “breakaway” provinces from Georgia in 2008 and the decree issued Monday recognizing the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk, showing how they’re almost the exact same.
“Copy, paste. Copy, paste. No creativity whatsoever. The copying machine in the Kremlin works very well. Who is next among the members of the United Nations? The question is open,” he said.
Kyslytsya demanded that Russia “cancel” and remove “additional Russian occupation troops” in Ukrainian territory, and he insisted, “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.”
“We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path, and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone,” he said.
Feb 21, 11:48 pm
Ukraine highlights importance of global response to Russia
Ukraine called for “painful sanctions” against Russia in a statement released by its foreign ministry, noting that how the world responds may greatly influence Russia’s next move.
“Further decisions and steps of the Russian Federation largely depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events,” the statement read. “Therefore, we insist on imposing painful sanctions against Russia in order to send a clear signal of the inadmissibility of further escalation. It is time to act to end Russia’s aggression and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
The country reiterated that it is ready to defend itself, stating that it “understands Russia’s intentions and its desire to provoke Ukraine. We take into account all risks and do not succumb to provocations.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is currently in Washington and meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Feb 21, 11:21 pm
Russian envoy dismisses criticisms, blames Ukraine in Security Council meeting
In remarks during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia dismissed “highly emotional” criticisms of Russia and said nothing has changed on the ground, while also blaming Ukraine for the decisions President Vladimir Putin’s decisions made earlier in the day.
Nebenzia dismissed “unfounded panic about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine” — as Russian troops prepare to come across the border — and painted Russia as a pacifist hero that welcomed refugees who were forced onto buses by Russian-led separatists.
“We’ve just heard a number of highly emotional statements, categorical assessments, and far-reaching conclusions,” he said during the emergency meeting. “I’ll leave the direct verbal assaults against us unanswered. Now it’s important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop the shelling and provocations against Donetsk and Luhansk.”
Russian-controlled separatists are responsible for the shelling and for staging the provocations, but Nebenzia worked to portray Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the force preventing war, despite it essentially seizing Ukrainian territory.
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