Angels & Airwaves have premiered a new song called “Spellbound,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Lifeforms.
The ’80s-esque tune is accompanied by a fittingly neon video that finds Tom DeLonge and company performing from inside a “first-of-its-kind laser-walled cube.” You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.
“Spellbound” follows previously released Lifeforms songs “Euphoria,” “Losing My Mind,” “Restless Souls,” “Kiss & Tell” and “Rebel Girl.” The whole album, which marks the first full-length AVA effort in seven years, arrives September 24.
Angels & Airwaves will launch a U.S. headlining tour in support of Lifeforms September 29 in Riverside, California.
The Wanted, the British boy band best known for their 2011 hit “Glad You Came,” are launching a comeback.
A greatest-hits album from the quintet, marking the 10th anniversary of their formation, is due out November 12. It’ll feature the first new music from the group since they split in 2014.
The Wanted also will perform together for the first time in seven years on September 20, at a London charity concert called Inside My Head. It will raise money for Stand Up to Cancer, as group member Tom Parker has been very publicly battling an inoperable brain tumor.
In a comical video announcing the reunion, all five members of the group — Tom, Max George, Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuinness and Siva Kaneswaran — randomly meet up in a hospital waiting room, where they collectively decide to get back together. As all the group members complain about minor medical problems — a broken arm, an injured ankle, a torn-up finger — Tom looks at the camera incredulously.
“We have been talking on and off for a few years about getting back together for the anniversary,” Jay says in a statement, according to OfficialCharts.com. “This is all about having fun with our mates. No pressure, just FUN.”
Coldplay is headlining the opening concert at Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena.
The show, which will mark Chris Martin and company’s first arena performance in nearly five years, takes place October 22. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, September 15, at 10 a.m. PT.
For those unable to attend, the concert will stream live via Amazon Music.
The Climate Pledge Arena, which will also be the home of the new Seattle Kraken NHL expansion team, is described as the “first net zero carbon certified arena in the world operating on 100% renewable energy.” Coldpaly is a fitting opener, then, since Martin previously stated that he didn’t want to tour until the process could be made carbon neutral.
Meanwhile, Coldplay is gearing up to release a new album called Music of the Spheres on October 15. It includes the lead single “Higher Power.”
Loretta Lynn’s upcoming Hometown Rising benefit show, raising money for those impacted by the devastating floods that hit Middle Tennessee last month, just got a lot more star power. Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Brittney Spencer and BRELAND have been added to the show.
The newly-announced artists will join Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Luke Bryan and Luke Combs for one star-studded night. The event will be held at the Grand Ole Opry on Monday, September 13. All of the proceeds will go to the United Way of Humphreys County, TN.
“It’s so heartwarming to see everyone in our hometown to step up to help those in need,” Loretta says. “I’m honored that some of my best friends in Nashville have been so eager to help, too, and I can’t wait to watch the great show they put on. I hope you’ll tune in with me!”
Loretta Lynn’s Hometown Rising will stream live on Circle Network, as well as on Circle All Access’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Sammy Hagar has announced plans to relocate his annual birthday bash — traditionally held at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — to two sites in Southern California.
The Red Rocker’s 2021 birthday celebration will kick off with the inaugural Afterburner Music Festival, taking place October 1-2 at Huntington Beach, California. Sammy and his current band, The Circle, will headline the festival’s first day, while the second day will include performances by Sam Hunt, X Ambassadors and Cassadee Pope. Tickets for the fest are on sale now.
Hagar and The Circle will then head to the Catalina Casino on Catalina Island for the 2021 Birthday Bash, scheduled for October 7, 8 and 9.
The October 7 show is a VIP event that will feature an acoustic performance, and Sammy and the band also will share stories and take questions from the audience. Attendees also will receive special merch, memorabilia and more.
A limited number of VIP tickets for the October 7 event and three-day passes are on sale now, as are single-day tickets for the October 8 and 9 events. Fans attending the Catalina Island shows will be required to show proof that they’re fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
During the pandemic last year, Hagar was unable to hold his birthday bash at his Cabo Wabo Cantina. Instead, Sammy and The Circle played a socially distanced concert on October 8 on Catalina Island. About his decision to hold this year’s bash on Catalina, Sammy explains, “I fell in love with the island and when we toured the…iconic Catalina Casino with its massive circular ballroom that opens on three sides to the bluest water I’ve seen in California, I got chills and knew we’d be back.”
Hagar’s actual birthday is October 13. He’ll be 74.
Oreo just announced the release of a limited-edition Pokémon cookie pack.
The Pokémon x Oreo cookie pack pays tribute to some of your favorite Pokémon, including Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.
There are 16 designs and each Oreo will be embossed with a different character.
Some cookies will be harder to find than others, just like in the Pokémon world.
“The rarity of the designs embossed on the cookies range from easy to find to hard to find, and the hardest to find (Mew) is featured on an extremely limited amount of the total cookies produced,” Oreo said in a press release.
Along with the collaboration, there will be an art installation with more than 8,000 3-D replicas of the cookies on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles until Oct. 3.
The Pokémon x OREO cookie pack will be available at retailers nationwide starting Sept 13.
Emmy-winner Bob Odenkirk is back on the set of Better Call Saul after suffering a “small heart attack” in July.
“Back to work on Better Call Saul!,” the actor captioned a tweeted photo of himself in the makeup chair. “So happy to be here and living this specific life surrounded by such good people.”
He also added of the woman in the picture with him, “BTW this is makeup pro Cheri Montesanto making me not ugly for shooting!”
Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital July 27 when he collapsed on the set while shooting the sixth and final season of his AMC series in New Mexico. The incident led to a viral outpouring of support on social media from friends and fans.
A few days after the incident, the 58-year-old actor tweeted that he had “a small heart attack,” caused by a blockage that was remedied without surgery. On August 7, Odenkirk tweeted he was “doing great,” adding, “I’ve had my very own ‘It’s a wonderful life’ week of people insisting I make the world slightly better.”
The actor thanked fans for the support, quipping, “I love everyone right now but let’s keep expectations reasonable!”
Back to work on Better Call Saul! So happy to be here and living this specific life surrounded by such good people. BTW this is makeup pro Cheri Montesanto making me not ugly for shooting! pic.twitter.com/lTAfPg7dDp
Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence head up an all-star cast in Netflix’s new apocalyptic dark comedy Don’t Look Up, the teaser for which just dropped.
The teaser intercuts DiCaprio’s rumpled astronomer character hyperventilating in a bathroom, as the world gets chaotic thanks to a planet-killing comet hurtling towards Earth.
“You’re breathing is stressing me out!” Jonah Hill later says, apparently as an aide in the Oval Office.
“This will affect the entire planet!’ protests DiCaprio.
“I know, but it’s, like, so stressful,” Hill says, mocking him breathlessly.
Lawrence’s character also tries to convince the president, played by Meryl Streep: “There’s a comet heading directly towards Earth.”
Streep replies skeptically, “Do you know how many ‘The world is ending’ meetings we’ve had over the past two years?”
Hill’s character agrees: “Drought, war, famine, hole in the ozone, it’s sooo boring.”
The snippet also shows an apparent attempt to avert disaster with a slew of ballistic missiles headed towards space, escorted by a space shuttle with Ron Perlman in the cockpit.
Directed and written by The Big Short Oscar-winner Adam McKay — the guy also behind Step Brothers and the Anchorman movies — Don’t Look Up also stars Timothée Chalamet, Michael Chiklis, Ariana Grande, Tyler Perry, and Oscar winners Mark Rylance and Cate Blanchett.
The film, no doubt a metaphor for real-life climate catastrophe from environmentalists DiCaprio and McKay, hits Netflix on December 24.
Luke Bryan was beaming with pride when he walked his niece, Jordan Cheshire, down the aisle at her wedding, filling the empty spot left behind by his late brother-in-law, who passed away in 2014.
Taking to Instagram recently, the wedding planner shared the magical moment of the country crooner escorting Jordan, 26, and rubbing her hand as they glided down the aisle. Bryan, 45, even took a moment to adjust his niece’s veil, so she looked perfect before walking up to Clint Eudy, her future husband, at the altar.
The couple married at the Troubadour Golf and Field Club in Tennessee.
“So many hard working hands over many months, and 20 days on-site led to THIS magical moment,” planner Emily Clarke Events wrote in the caption. “This is why we do what we do!”
In their Instagram stories, the planner also revealed that Luke also danced with his niece to Phil Collins‘ “You’ll Be in My Heart” and consoled her during the emotional tribute.
Bryan and his wife Caroline helped raise Jordan and her two brothers after both their parents passed away. His sister, Kelly, unexpectedly passed away in 2007 and his brother-in-law, Ben Lee Cheshire, died of unknown causes in 2014 at age 46.
Jordan was 19 when her father died. Her brothers, Kris and Til were 16 and 12, respectively.
The American Idol judge previously opened up to People about staying strong for his niece and nephews, telling the outlet in July, “I’ve had so many tragedies in my life…Maybe [my brother] Chris and Kelly and Lee have moved some puzzle pieces around to make my life so fortunate. When I say my prayers at night, I have to say, ‘Thank y’all for looking after us down here.'”
(VIRGINIA) — Like many educators this fall, Jill Biden headed back to the classroom at Northern Virginia Community College Tuesday as the first presidential spouse to hold a full-time job while also serving her duties as first lady.
She was also the first second lady to continue with her full time career while her husband was serving as vice president.
Biden is teaching two sections of an introductory academic writing course this semester, with one section fully in-person and the other being a hybrid model of in-person and online learning, according to the college’s course catalogue.
Throughout the pandemic Biden has advocated for the importance of returning to in-person instruction, writing for ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “I know that classrooms are so much more than places where our children learn math and reading.”
Elizabeth Natalle is a founding and board member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education, an organization that promotes and publicizes the contributions of first ladies.
She said Biden’s dual career as a first lady and a professor is not only historic but it more accurately reflects the reality of American women which is a reality that embodies both being a working professional and having families.
“I think Jill Biden is very purposefully being quite vocal about her title, about her professionalism, about her work as a way to inspire and be a role model for American women and for girls growing up,” she said.
Having been an educator for over 30 years and continuing to teach during her husband’s two terms as vice president, Biden had already established some precedent that she could do both, according to Anita McBride, the director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University, which studies the influence of first ladies on politics, policy and public diplomacy.
“It’s something that she made clear that ‘It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am,’ and she prepared the country for the fact that she would continue to do so,” McBride said.
Over the past few presidencies, the country has been inching towards having a first lady who also has a job to balance with presidential spousal duties, McBride said. And Biden is not unlike other first ladies in her efforts to move America forward on its views about working women.
“You can point to almost any first lady in our history and show where they have risen to the occasion and tried to move the country forward and just push the envelope a little bit further on various issues,” she said.
Biden, who goes by “Dr. Biden” in class, has her doctorate of education in educational leadership from the University of Delaware. Last December, an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that garnered explosive reactions called on Biden to drop the title.
The op-ed’s author, Joseph Epstein, wrote that the use of doctor by Biden “sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.”
In a tweet, Biden responded by saying “Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished.”
Natalle said that first ladies are embroiled in a paradox of public criticism for either being too involved in political matters and not focusing on other duties or not being involved enough — and Biden is no exception.
“First ladies, no matter what they do, find themselves between a rock and a hard place,” she said.
While Biden has been vocal about continuing to teach and the importance of returning to in-person learning, she keeps a low profile about her second job as first lady.
The two courses she is teaching are listed on the semester’s course schedule as being taught by “Tracy, J.” — which is her middle name.
According to her Rate My Professor profile, which is a website that allows students to review college professors, one student wrote that “I mean, who — in her position — would continue here with all that’s going on in her family’s very public life? But in the classroom she’s simply Dr. Biden.”
She is also classified as a “tough grader” but also a “wonderful teacher” by student reviews.
Natalle hopes that Biden’s commitment to continue in her profession will create a lasting impact.
“I hope that she sets a precedent for future first spouses, whether that’s a man or a woman, to be a working person who’s respected for that,” she said.
