ABC aired its third Live in Front of a Studio Audience on Tuesday, this time featuring episodes of The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, hosted once again by Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear.
This time, however, the producers decided to have a little fun, casting older actors — including Jeniffer Aniston, 52, Kathryn Hahn, 48, Allison Tolman, 40, and Gabrielle Union, 49, to fill the respective roles of Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie in the original series.
Likewise, the Diff’rent Strokes segment featured 42-year-old Kevin Hart and 61-year-old Damon Wayans, respectively, to play to play Arnold and Willis, originally portrayed by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges.
Despite the age differences, all four actresses did an admirable job of copying their characters’ looks and mannerisms. Ann Dowd, who who returned as Mrs. Garret in the Diff’rent Strokes segment, looked and sounded amazingly like her counterpart, the late Charlotte Rae.
There was also a guest appearance from John Stewart, along with surprise cameos from Will Arnett and Jason Bateman.
Lisa Welchel, who played Blair in the original series, sang the show’s iconic theme song, before being joined by former cast mates Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields, who played Tootie and Natalie, respectively.
Next, after Boyz II Men‘s Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman delivered a version of the Diff’rent Strokes theme song, Hart and Wayans were joined by John Lithgow, as Mr. Drummond, played in the original series by the late Conrad Baines.
Hart and Wayans also played up the obvious physical differences between them and their characters, such as Wayans’ observation that while Hart’s Arnold “looks 45, he’s just eight.”
Another obvious ad-lib came at the end of the episode when Hart noted that Willis’ friend Vernon — played by Snoop Dogg “always smells like weed.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Brooklyn 102, Dallas 99
New York 121, San Antonio 109
LA Lakers 117, Boston 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 3, Montreal 2
NY Islanders 5, Ottawa 3
Nashville 5, Detroit 2
Toronto 5, Columbus 4
Anaheim 2, Buffalo 0
Carolina 4, Winnipeg 2
St. Louis 4, Florida 3 (OT)
NY Rangers 6, Chicago 2
Minnesota 4, Edmonton 1
San Jose 5, Calgary 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Villanova 67, Syracuse 53
Kansas 78, UTEP 52
Kentucky 76, Southern U. 64
Arkansas 86, Charlotte 66
Texas Tech 57, Tennessee 52
Southern Cal 80, East Kentucky 68
The 2021 E! People’s Choice Awards celebrated all things entertainment Tuesday night in a two-hour ceremony hosted by actor and comedian Kenan Thompson.
Prior to Tuesday’s celebration, the top four honorees of the night were announced with Halle Berry receiving the Icon of 2021 Award. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson scored the People’s Champion Award and during his inspiring, heartfelt speech passed his award on to a Make-A Wish recipient, who attended the PCAs courtesy of the foundation.
“You’ve inspired me and everyone around you and certainly everyone here,” Johnson said. “I want to give you this.”
The Fashion Icon Award was accepted by Kim Kardashian West, who gave a shout out to her ex Kanye West crediting him with introducing her to the world of fashion. Christina Aguilera was honored with the PCAs first-ever Music Icon Award during this year’s ceremony and delivered a show-stopping performance of her biggest hits including “Genie in a Bottle,” “Dirty,” “Stronger,” and “Beautiful” — complete with three seamless outfit changes.
Other performances included H.E.R, who honored the life and legacy of R&B legend Marvin Gaye — which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the release of his renowned record “What’s Going on” — and country star Blake Shelton.
Here is the full list of People’s Choice Award winners:
People’s Champion Award
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Fashion Icon Award
Kim Kardashian
Music Icon Award
Christina Aguilera
People’s Icon of 2021
Halle Berry
The Movie of 2021 Black Widow
The Comedy Movie of 2021 Free Guy
The Action Movie of 2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Drama Movie of 2021 Cruella
The Family Movie of 2021 Luca
The Male Movie Star of 2021
Dwayne Johnson (Jungle Cruise)
The Female Movie Star of 2021
Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)
The Drama Movie Star of 2021
Kevin Hart (Fatherhood)
The Comedy Movie Star of 2021
Dwayne Johnson(Jungle Cruise)
The Action Movie Star of 2021
Simi Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
The Show of 2021 Loki
The Drama Show of 2021 Grey’s Anatomy
The Comedy Show of 2021 Never Have I Ever
The Reality Show of 2021 Keeping Up With the Kardashians
The Competition Show of 2021 The Voice
The Male TV Star of 2021
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
The Female TV Star of 2021
Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy)
The Drama TV Star of 2021
Chase Stokes (Outer Banks)
The Comedy TV Star of 2021
Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)
The Daytime Talk Show of 2021 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Nighttime Talk Show of 2021 Jimmy Kimmel Live
The Competition Contestant of 2021
JoJo Siwa (Dancing With the Stars)
The Reality TV Star of 2021
Khloé Kardashian(Keeping Up With the Kardashians)
The Bingeworthy Show of 2021 Squid Game
The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2021 Lucifer
The Male Artist of 2021
Lil Nas X
The Female Artist of 2021
Adele
The Group of 2021
BTS
The Song of 2021
“Butter” (BTS)
The Album of 2021 Sour(Olivia Rodrigo)
The Country Artist of 2021
Blake Shelton
The Latin Artist of 2021
Bad Bunny
The New Artist of 2021
Olivia Rodrigo
The Music Video of 2021
“Butter” (BTS)
The Collaboration Song of 2021
“Stay” (The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber)
The Social Star of 2021
Britney Spears
The Pop Special of 2021 Friends: The Reunion
The Comedy Act of 2021
Vaccinated and Horny Tour (Chelsea Handler)
The Game Change of 2021
Simone Biles
The Pop Podcast of 2021 Anything Goes With Emma Chamberlain
A new edition of Cat Stevens‘ soundtrack to the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude, in conjunction with the film’s 50th anniversary, will be released on February 11, 2022, on CD, digitally and as a 180-gram vinyl LP.
Harold and Maude tells the story of a suicide-obsessed teenager who learns to embrace life while falling in love with an eccentric, free-spirited 79-year-old woman. The darkly comedic film was directed by Hal Ashby, and starred Bud Cort as Harold and Ruth Gordon as Maude.
The movie’s soundtrack featured seven previously released songs by Stevens that first appeared on his then-recent studio albums Mona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman, and two new tunes Cat wrote specifically for the flick — “Don’t Be Shy” and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out.”
A soundtrack album was not released in conjunction with the film because Stevens, who is now known as Yusuf Islam, says he was worried at the time that it would be perceived as a greatest hits collection, and he felt that it was too early in his career to issue one.
The original version of the Harold and Maude soundtrack album was released in limited quantities in 2007 on Cameron Crowe‘s independent label, Vinyl Films, but that soon went out of print.
The new version features the nine Stevens songs that appeared in the film, coupled for the first time with dialogue segments from the movie.
The audio for the soundtrack has been remastered at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios. The album will boast enhanced packaging that includes liner notes, song lyrics, movie dialogue transcriptions and photos from the film.
You can pre-order the Harold and Maude soundtrack now.
Here’s the album’s full track list:
Side 1
“Don’t Be Shy”
“Dialogue 1 (I Go to Funerals)”
“On the Road to Find Out”
“I Wish, I Wish”
“Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 in B”
“Dialogue 2 (How Many Suicides)”
“Marching Band”/”Dialogue 3 (Harold Meets Maude)”
“Miles from Nowhere”
“Tea for the Tillerman”
Side 2
“I Think I See the Light”
“Dialogue 4 (Sunflower)”
“Where Do the Children Play?”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort vocal)
“Strauss’ Blue Danube”
“Dialogue 5 (Somersaults)”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out”
“Dialogue 6 (Harold Loves Maude)”
“Trouble”
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (ending)
(WASHINGTON) — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has informed the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that he is no longer cooperating with their probe, two sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
In a letter from Meadows’ attorney, Meadows’ team says that they had intended to cooperate with the committee — but no more.
“We agreed to provide thousands of pages of responsive documents and Mr. Meadows was willing to appear voluntarily, not under compulsion of the Select Committee’s subpoena to him, for a deposition to answer questions about non-privileged matters. Now actions by the Select Committee have made such an appearance untenable,” the letter from George J. Terwilliger II stated.
Terwilliger, in the letter, said that Meadows “has consistently sought in good faith to pursue an accommodation with the Select Committee,” but claims the panel has made an appearance for a deposition untenable because they have “no intention of respecting boundaries concerning Executive Privilege.”
In a subsequent statement, committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and vice chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said they would pursue contempt of Congress charges if Meadows fails to appear before the committee on Wednesday as scheduled.
“Tomorrow’s deposition, which was scheduled at Mr. Meadows’s request, will go forward as planned,” the statement said. “If indeed Mr. Meadows refuses to appear, the Select Committee will be left no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr. Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution.”
A floor vote holding Meadows in contempt of Congress could lead the Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges as they have already done with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Last week the committee suggested that Meadows had agreed to come forward for a deposition without preconditions, based on their initial communications.
Meadows’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video meeting on Tuesday that the United States “would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,” as Russia builds up its forces on its border with Ukraine.
“President Biden voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,” the White House said in a statement following the call, which the White House said lasted two hours and one minute.
Biden, the White House said, “reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.”
The call started at 10:07 a.m., according to the White House, and Russian TV showed Putin sitting at a long, wooden table looking at Biden on a TV monitor and the two men waving at each other.
“Welcome, Mr. President,” Putin said.
“Hello. Good to see you again,” Biden replied. “Unfortunately, last time we did not get to see each other at the G-20. I hope next time we meet we do it in person.”
Putin spoke from his residence in the Russian resort city Sochi. Biden was in the White House Situation Room; the White House released a photograph showing him seated with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other advisors.
During the meeting, the first conversation between the leaders since July, Biden planned to threaten “substantial economic countermeasures” if Russia prepared to proceed with a military invasion, a senior Biden administration official said Monday.
“What I am doing is putting together what I believe to be–will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do,” Biden told ABC News White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks on Friday.
After his call with Putin, the White House said, Biden planned to speak with France’s President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The leaders had spoken the day before, after which the White House said they “called on Russia to de-escalate tensions”; agreed that diplomacy” was “the only way forward”; and “underscored their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The senior administration official said the U.S. was watching a series of events unfold similar to the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula. That included moving troops to its border with Ukraine coupled with a “significant spike” in anti-Ukrainian propaganda on social media, the official said.
But, according to the official, the U.S. had not determined whether Putin had decided yet if he would attack.
“We do not know or have a clear indication that President Putin has actually made an–given an affirmative order here,” the official said in a call with reporters. “It is more about planning intentions and then the kinds of movements that we have seen.”
Ahead of the call, both the White House and Kremlin sought to lower expectations.
“It is very important not to have some overexcited, emotional expectations here,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Channel One on Monday.
Asked by ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers if the White House’s message was also to not have high expectations, White House press secretary Jen Psaki replied, “I think it is.”
“The president is not going to hold back in conveying his concern,” Psaki told another reporter.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that Russia’s “escalation” was “an immediate threat.”
“The stakes for the president’s call couldn’t be clearer,” McConnell said during remarks on the Senate floor.
In addition to Ukraine, Biden also spoken about strategic stability, ransomware and “joint work on regional issues such as Iran,” the White House said.
The White House has made clear the U.S. is ready to support allies in the region if Russia decides to move forward with a military invasion in Ukraine.
“I think you could anticipate that in the event of an invasion, the need to reinforce the confidence and reassurance of our NATO allies and our eastern flank allies would be real, and the United States would be prepared to provide that kind of reassurance,” the senior official said Monday. “That’s just sort of applying the lessons of 2014 to 2021.”
Notably, the official wouldn’t specify whether that “reassurance” would come in the form of sanctions, U.S. forces, capabilities, or all of the above, nor what the hair trigger is for the support.
The official wouldn’t go so far as to say outright that Biden would warn Putin the U.S. military could be used if the Russian military moves into Ukraine.
After Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, the U.S. and the European Union leveled economic sanctions against Russia, and Russia was kicked out of the “Group of Eight” industrialized nations.
The United States also sent 600 troops to eastern Europe in a show of solidarity with Baltic nations on Russia’s border. That deployment has morphed into a rotating set of relatively small U.S. deployments to eastern European nations.
“I don’t want to use a public press call to talk about the particular sensitive challenges that President Biden will lay out for President Putin,” the official said of Tuesday’s call. “But I would say that the United States is not seeking to end up in a circumstance in which the focus of our countermeasures is the direct use of American military force, as opposed to a combination of support for the Ukrainian military, strong economic countermeasures, and substantial increase in support and capability to our NATO allies to ensure they remain safe.”
In short: Biden will “make clear that there will be very real cost should Russia choose to proceed, but he will also make clear that there is an effective way forward with respect to diplomacy,” the official said.
The administration’s preferred option for response to any Russian aggression would be a series of economic sanctions in concert with European partners, and the official warned those would be “severe.”
“We believe that we have a path forward that would involve substantial economic countermeasures by both the Europeans and the United States that would impose significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy, should they choose to proceed. I’m not going to get into the specific details of that, but we believe that there is a way forward here that will allow us to send a clear message to Russia, that there will be genuine and meaningful and enduring costs to choosing to go forward should they choose to go forward with a military escalation in Ukraine,” the official warned.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday ahead of Biden’s call with Putin, and Zelensky tweeted that he had “agreed positions” with Blinken.
“Grateful to strategic partners & allies for the continued support of our sovereignty & territorial integrity,” Zelensky wrote.
Biden himself will call Zelenskyy to provide a readout of his conversation with Putin afterward, the official said.
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Trish Turner contributed to this report.
Meek Mill is planning to be Santa Claus for needy kids in his hometown.
The “Sharing Locations” rapper announced he will host the “Meek Mill Holiday Giveaway Event” in Philadelphia on December 19 at a location to be announced later.
“Really doing something big for the city,“ Meek commented on Instagram. “Computers, bikes, and more for the kids.” Mill will also be giving away coats and various toys.
Meek is also planning to release the fifth and final installment in his series of Dreamchasers mixtapes next year as a NFT.
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks and Trucks’ wife and Tedeschi Trucks Band mate Susan Tedeschi are among the latest musicians to join the lineup for Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment, a virtual concert event scheduled to premiere December 15 at 9 p.m. ET at the Playing for Change YouTube channel.
The streaming event, produced by the Playing for Change organization and the United Nations Population Fund, will focus on raising funds and awareness for environmental issues.
More than 200 artists from over 35 countries will take part in the presentation, along with world leaders and influencers. Documentaries also will be shown displaying the beauty of the planet and looking at its vulnerability to pollution and other environmental hazards.
Previously announced performers include Slash, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, The Grateful Dead‘s Mickey Hart, 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.
As Adele recently told Oprah Winfrey, some of the singer’s fans took issue with her losing weight, and it seems Rebel Wilson had to grapple with that herself.
In an interview with the BBC, Wilson, 41, said her plan for a “year of health,” which resulted in a nearly 80-pound weight loss, wasn’t welcome news to some of her reps. “I got a lot of pushback from my own team actually, here in Hollywood, when I said…’I feel like I’m really gonna physically transform and change my life.'”
“[T]hey were like, ‘Why? Why would you wanna do that?’ Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person.”
Wilson insisted that while she was “very confident being bigger,” despite being, “double the size and sometimes triple times the weight of other actresses, “deep down” she knew, “some of the emotional eating she was doing was not healthy.”
She explained, “Like I did not need a tub of ice cream every night. That was me kind of numbing emotions using food, which wasn’t the healthiest thing.”
Wilson said her need to cope came from, “dealing with not being a natural performer, and having to perform every day. And that pressure and internal stress to be able to perform like that.”
Wilson also explained she’s still “trying on my fertility journey,” which she previously said was another prime mover for her fitness. However, Rebel says she’s trying not to have “any expectations on the outcome.”
Instead, she’s just going to focus on being the “healthiest I can be,” and “whatever happens, happens.”
Who has the top song of 2021? According toBillboard‘s staff, the honor goes to Silk Sonicand their hit single “Leave The Door Open.”
The outlet released its list of the best 100 songs to come out of 2021 and, sitting above an impressive roundup is the Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak-fronted group. Billboard’s staff call their song “an instant slam dunk” because it blends “the lush sounds of ’70s soul” and a “modern finesse.”
Olivia Rodrigo claims second place with her angry breakup anthem “good 4 u,” which helped the young singer make history by going to number one on the Hot 100. The song’s number one bow was preceded by “drivers license” and, therefore, made Olivia the only artist in history to have a debut album, Sour, send two of its songs to the number one spot.
In third is “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, with Billboard saluting the hit for being a “fun repeat listen” even though it never topped the Hot 100, but was a constant in the top 10. Although the song was released in October 2020, it made the cut because it peaked this year: In fact, it was Billboard‘s number-one Hot 100 chart song of 2021.
Lil Nas X and his groundbreaking “Industry Baby” collab with Jack Harlow ends 2021 in fourth place while Taylor Swift rounds out the top five with her 10-minute re-recording of “All Too Well.”
Visit Billboard‘s website to read the complete list of the best 100 songs of 2021.
