Luke Bryan is once again reigning at the top of the charts, as his latest single “Waves” claims the #1 spot at country radio.
This makes a whopping 27 #1 hits for the country superstar and is the fifth consecutive chart-topper off his 2020 album Born Here Live Here Die Here, following “Knockin’ Boots,” “What She Wants Tonight,” “One Margarita” and “Down to One.”
“Woke up this morning as a writer on the number one song in the country. Thank you @LukeBryanOnline and the whole team for making it a hit!” “Waves” co-writer Ryan Hurd writes in a celebratory Twitter post.
“Waves” is featured on the deluxe edition of Born Here, which reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the top five of the all-genre Billboard 200.
Luke continues on his Proud to Be Right Here Tour through October.
Halsey‘s new album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which was produced by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has been turning a lot of heads, included that of the one and only Taylor Swift.
On Sunday, Swift tweeted a message of support to Halsey, writing that she’s “blown away” by the “Without Me” star’s “artistry and commitment to taking risks.”
“Giving us all a brave new era to dive into and explore together,” Swift commented. “Please stream and buy the album!”
Halsey then replied back, “Thank you T means so so much.”
When If I Can’t Have Love dropped on Friday, Halsey thanked the Nine Inch Nails duo for helping her take those artistic risks.
“They saw a festering crack in my armor and forced it open from miles away,” Halsey wrote. “This is the album I have always wanted to make, but never believed I was cool enough.”
She added, “There are not enough words to thank them for…taking a chance on me and lending me their genius talent. I hope you love our very unlikely and very special matrimony.”
In addition to Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters also want you to listen to If I Can’t Have Love, which features Dave Grohl on the song “honey.”
“Check it out,” the Foos tweeted Monday, along with a link to the album.
“Stay” is staying on top of the charts for yet another week.
The Justin Bieber/The Kid LAROI collab has notched a fourth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. That makes “Stay” Justin’s longest-running number-one hit as a lead artist, passing “Sorry,” which was number one for three weeks in 2016.
Yes, Justin was number one for 16 weeks with “Despacito,” but as Billboard notes, he was just a featured artist, not a lead artist, on that track, which was officially credited to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.
“Stay” has also just hit number one on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart for the first time. It’s LAROI’s first number one on that chart, and Justin’s ninth. He’s now tied with Bruno Mars among male solo artists for the most Pop Airplay chart-toppers.
Meanwhile, Dua Lipa has set a new record with her hit “Levitating.” It’s now spent a whopping 34 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — the longest stay there ever for a song by a woman. The record was previously held by Cardi B as part of her collaboration with Maroon 5, “Girls Like You,” which lasted 33 weeks in the top 10.
The only songs overall that have spent more weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10 are Post Malone‘s “Circles” with 39, and The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” with 57. It seems possible that Dua might pass Post Malone in the near future.
A pair a virtual Van Morrison concerts will stream globally at nugs.net on consecutive days, September 10 and 11.
The first show will feature Morrison delivering a 65-minute concert that will include renditions of songs from throughout his expansive catalog. The second concert features Van showcasing tunes from his 2021 studio album, Latest Record Project: Volume 1, as well as performing select classics.
The performances were recorded at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studios near Bath, U.K. The shows will begin at 6 p.m. ET. both days.
Tickets for the concerts can be purchased individually for $14.99 in HD and $19.99 for the high-res 4K format at nugs.net/vanmorrison. Two-night bundles also will be available. Nugs.net subscribers can purchase the streaming events for a discounted price.
Morrison released Latest Record Project: Volume 1 in May. The 28-track collection finds Van continuing to delve into his love of classic soul, blues, R&B and jazz. The album features a variety songs that offer commentary of modern life, some of which focus on Morrison’s dissatisfaction with how the U.K. government has handled the COVID-19 health crisis.
Elijah Wood stars as FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier in the new based-on-real-life drama No Man of God, which hit theaters and streaming services over the weekend after its Tribeca Film Festival debut in June.
The intense movie, directed by actress-turned filmmaker Amber Sealey, centers on the relationship that developed between Hagmaier and an incarcerated Ted Bundy leading up to the serial killer’s execution.
There have been several films about Bundy due to an ongoing national obsession with the killer, in part because his TV-ready looks and charm belied his brutal killings. But Sealey says she was careful not to glamorize him.
Emmy winner Luke Kirby plays the infamous murderer in No Man, and he explained to ABC Audio what his process was to get into Bundy’s head.
“Reluctant,” Kirby sighs. “…I found a lot of things to get distracted by and…I moved in and out of it as much as my stomach could bear for the day.”
Kirby credited Sealey with making his job easier. “…To come into a room and play make believe for a job is, you know, ridiculously fortunate. So I tried to keep it all in perspective.”
For his part, Wood was relieved by the mood on Sealey’s set, the first time many involved had worked since the COVID lockdowns. “I think what was sort of surprising about it was…the material is heavy…but the experience of making it was joyful and fun, partially because we all hadn’t been working on anything in quite some time, and we’d been in isolation.”
Wood continues, “And suddenly we were engaged in the creative process again, which was lovely. But also, you know, it’s Luke and Amber and this incredible crew that made the process fun and enjoyable.”
(NEW YORK) — Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record — by both wind speed and pressure — to roar ashore in Louisiana.
Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 3:38 pm
911 service restored in New Orleans
Emergency 911 service has been restored in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
9-1-1 emergency services have been fully restored in the @CityOfNOLA.
Please call 9-1-1 for emergencies and 3-1-1 (504-658-2299) for non-emergencies‼️
As recovery efforts get underway, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tuesday morning to meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards and survey damage, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell will go to Jackson, Mississippi, Tuesday evening to meet with Gov. Tate Reeves.
Aug 30, 3:05 pm
Louisiana damage ‘catastrophic,’ governor says
In a briefing with governors and mayors affected by Hurricane Ida, President Joe Biden vowed full government support.
“We’re there to help you get back on your feet,” Biden said.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he estimated nearly 2 million are without power.
Biden said, “We’re in close contact with local electric providers to see what they need. They are all private providers. We don’t control that, but we’re doing all we can to minimize the amount of time it is going to take to get power back up.”
In the meeting, Edwards touted the success of the levee system, saying none of them were breached. But, he added, “Damage is still catastrophic.”
Edwards said a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued seven patients from a hospital in Lafourche Parish after its roof was ripped off by the powerful winds.
Aug 30, 2:38 pm
At least 1 dead in New Orleans
At least one death has been reported in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Details have not been released.
This brings Ida’s death toll to at least two. A 60-year-old man in Ascension Parish died Sunday when a tree fell on a home, officials said.
At an emotional news conference Monday, Cantrell said the “worse-case scenario” with Ida “did not happen.”
“We did not have another Katrina … we should all be grateful,” she said.
Cantrell said New Orleans has a few collapsed buildings but not widespread destruction.
However, power is out throughout the city, 911 is not available and there are small pockets of standing water from blocked drains. The mayor stressed that residents should shelter in place.
Aug 30, 2:15 pm
Ida’s latest forecast
Ida, one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall in Louisiana, has dropped 18 inches of rain on parts of the state.
New Orleans has been hit with 13.7 inches of rain.
Numerous flash flood warnings remain in effect across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Ida is expected to weaken to a tropical depression Monday before bringing heavy rain and possible flooding to the Tennessee Valley Monday night through Tuesday.
By Wednesday and Thursday, the storm will hit the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The forecast calls for 4 to 6 inches of rain and possible flash flooding.
Aug 30, 1:40 pm
Coast Guard conducting search and rescue flights
The Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue flights across the devastated Gulf Coast.
The Coast Guard is also assessing damage and working to make sure ports can reopen.
President Joe Biden is set to hold a virtual meeting Monday afternoon with FEMA and leaders from areas impacted by Ida.
Aug 30, 1:05 pm
Hospital patients evacuated
Ida significantly damaged Louisiana’s Ochsner Health system, though neither patients nor employees have been injured, hospital officials said Monday.
About 65 patients at two of Ochsner Health’s facilities have been evacuated, they said. Ochsner Health officials said they’ve also been asked to help evacuate about 100 patients from Terrebonne General Health System in Houma, Louisiana.
Aug 30, 12:45 pm
AT&T wireless at 60% in Louisiana
AT&T said its Louisiana wireless network is operating at 60%.
“We had key network facilities go offline overnight, and while some have already been restored, some facilities remain down and are inaccessible due to flooding and storm damage,” AT&T said in a statement.
Aug 30, 12:24 pm
New Orleans to evacuees: Do not return until further notice
New Orleans residents who evacuated their homes should not return until further notice, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.
“There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city,” city officials said. “We will let you know when it is safe to come home.”
If you have evacuated out of #NOLA, we request that you DO NOT RETURN until further notice. There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city. We will let you know when it is safe to come home. #Idapic.twitter.com/r6rSzGxLX0
Tropical Storm Ida, now about 40 miles southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, is still bringing flash flood warnings to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Monday.
Up to 18 inches of rain has pummeled Louisiana. Up to 9 inches fell in Mississippi.
A tornado watch remains in effect in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
By Tuesday, Ida will move northeast into the Tennessee River Valley.
By Wednesday night into Thursday, Ida will track into the Northeast, dropping up to 6 inches of rain. Major flooding is possible along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Philadelphia.
Aug 30, 10:40 am
New Orleans airport expects all flights to be canceled
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is conducting damage assessments and said it expects all flights to be canceled Monday.
The airport added that passengers should check directly with their airlines for more information.
Aug 30, 10:29 am
Historic landmark tied to Louis Armstrong collapses
The Karnofsky Tailor Shop, a historic national landmark in New Orleans, is one of the multiple buildings that collapsed when Ida walloped the city.
The brick two-story shop, a former tailor business in the Central Business District of the city, dates back to 1913 and is where Louis Armstrong worked before embarking on his legendary jazz career.
The family that owned the shop provided a second home for Armstrong and loaned him money to purchase his first cornet, according to the National Park Service.
Aug 30, 10:17 am
Governor expects death toll to go up ‘considerably’
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC Monday that search and rescue efforts are ongoing and he expects Ida’s death toll to “go up considerably throughout the day.”
Helicopters are surveying damage because it will take “many days” to reach Louisiana’s southern coastal areas by ground, he said.
Nearly all of southeast Louisiana is without power, the governor said. All eight major lines that feed electricity to the New Orleans area have failed.
Aug 30, 8:20 am
‘We’re a broken community right now’
The president of hard-hit Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that all communication lines with Grand Isle were down.
Cynthia Lee Sheng said about 40 people are believed to have stayed on the barrier island, located about 100 miles south of New Orleans.
“We have lost contact with them since yesterday afternoon,” Sheng said. “We have first responder teams out there planning their strategy for today, ready to go out.”
Sheng also said there were concerns about Lafitte, Louisiana, saying officials had received reports of people trapped in their attics by high water.
“This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there’s alligators out there,” Sheng said.
She said rescue workers have not been able to reach the area due to darkness and downed power lines.
In addition to thousands in the area losing power, Sheng said the parish was losing pressure in its water system.
“We’ve had a lot of water main breaks,” she said. “Our water system is losing pressure and so in order to be able to fight fires, that is a very critical element. So, we’re trying to clear roads to do those water repairs.”
Sheng added, “We’re a broken community right now.”
Aug 30, 7:33 am
Over 1.1 million customers without power in 2 states
Ida, with its blustery winds and torrential rain, has left more than 1.1 million utility customers without power in Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday morning.
More than 1 million customers were without electricity in Louisiana, mostly in the southeast part of Bayou State where Ida made landfall, according to state emergency management officials.
In Mississippi, another 105,417 homes and businesses were without electricity, state officials said.
Aug 30, 5:41 am
Ida downgraded to tropical storm
About 16 hours after making landfall in Louisiana, Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning.
As of 4 a.m. CT, Ida was moving north at 8 miles per hour with the eye of the storm located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, and 50 miles north-northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.
The storm surge warning has been discontinued from Morgan City to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued west of Grand Isle. The hurricane warning has been replaced with a tropical storm warning from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Grand Isle to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, 16 states from Mississippi to New Jersey are still on alert for flash flooding. A flash flood watch is in place from the Gulf Coast to New Jersey.
So far, the highest rainfall total was recorded in LaPlace, Louisiana, which received 15 inches. A flash flood emergency remains in effect there, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida is forecast to rapidly weaken even more over the next day or so, becoming a tropical depression by Monday evening.
The storm will move farther inland over southeastern Louisiana early Monday and into southwestern Mississippi later in the morning. Ida is then forecast to move over central and northeastern Mississippi on Monday afternoon and evening before moving across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Aug 30, 4:40 am
Tornado warning issued for parts of southern Mississippi
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for eastern Harrison County and northwestern Jackson County, both in southern Mississippi.
As Hurricane Ida approaches the Magnolia State, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located via radar over Biloxi in Mississippi’s Harrison County early Monday at 2:46 a.m. CT. The “tornadic thunderstorm” was moving north at 65 miles per hour, according to an alert from the National Weather Service, which urged people to “take cover now!”
“Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows,” the National Weather Service said. “If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”
The storm could impact the Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport as well as several miles of Interstate 10 and 110 in Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado warning will remain in effect until 3:45 a.m. CT.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service warned. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
Aug 30, 4:16 am
New Orleans ‘experiencing technical difficulties’ with 911 system
The emergency communications center for New Orleans said it is “experiencing technical difficulties” with its 911 system, after the city lost power due to Hurricane Ida.
“If you find yourself in an emergency, please go to your nearest fire station or approach your nearest officer,” the Orleans Parish Communication District announced via Twitter early Monday. “We will update you once this issue has been resolved.”
After cryptically teasing the release of his long awaited Certified Lover Boy album with a handwritten note Friday on ESPN’s Sportscenter, Drake confirmed the release date Monday morning on Instagram.
The “What’s Next” rapper posted, “Certified Lover Boy September 3” with twelve emojis of pregnant women. Numerous stars responded very enthusiastically, including Offset from Migos, who posted two hands-up emojis and two fire emojis. Trina was even more excited, commenting with six fire emojis, and Sevyn Streeter also commented with four fire emojis. black-ish star Marsai Martin is also pumped about the album, posting, “Yessirr.”
As previously reported, Sportscenter opened Friday morning with its usual montage of sports highlights. Then suddenly, an image appeared, reading “CLB September 3,” as captured by XXL Magazine.
The Champagne Papi’s sixth studio album was delayed after originally being scheduled for release in January. It follows Drake’s 2018, RIAA five-times Platinum album Scorpion, which features the number-one hits “Nice for What,” “In My Feelings,” and “Nonstop.”
Since the release of Scorpion, Drizzy dropped his Care Package compilation project in August 2019, the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape in May 2020, and his Scary Hours 2 EP in March.
The first single from Certified Lover Boy, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring Lil Durk, was released August 14, 2020 and hit number one.
(IOWA) — The 27-year-old man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2018 abduction and killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts was sentenced on Monday afternoon to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, an undocumented farmworker from Mexico, was sentenced after a victim impact statement from Tibbetts’ mother, Laura Calderwood, was read in court by a victim advocate from the Iowa State Attorney General’s Office.
“I come here to give a voice to our daughter, granddaughter, sister, girlfriend, niece, cousin and friend, Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts,” Calderwood wrote. “Mollie was a young woman who simply wanted to go for a quiet run on the evening of July 18 (2018) and you chose to violently and sadistically end that life.”
“Because of your act, Mollie’s father, Rob, will never get to walk his only daughter down the aisle,” she wrote. “Because of your act, Mr. Rivera, I will never get to see my daughter become a mother.”
Both Bahena Rivera and his attorneys declined to make a statement.
Poweshiek County District Court Judge Joel Yates announced the life sentence, and the punishment also includes an order for Bahena Rivera to pay the Tibbetts family $150,000 in restitution.
“Mr. Bahena Rivera, you and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts,” Yates said.
Yates ordered that Bahena Rivera be immediately transferred to the Iowa Department of Corrections Medical and Classification Center to begin his sentence.
Bahena Rivera was convicted in May by a jury that deliberated for seven hours over two days.
Yates postponed the sentencing date after Bahena Rivera requested a new trial based on his and his attorneys’ claim that he was framed for Tibbetts’ slaying by the real killers.
Yates denied the motion for a new trial this month following a hearing in July. In his ruling, Yates wrote, “providing an alternative suspect is only a useful strategy when it is believable.”
The 20-year-old Tibbetts vanished on July 18, 2018, while out for a jog in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. The case drew national attention as the search for Tibbetts went on for a month and a reward fund for information about her whereabouts ballooned to nearly $400,000.
Tibbetts’ body was recovered from a cornfield in Poweshiek County District after Bahena Rivera led investigators to the remains.
During Bahena Rivera’s trial, the jury heard two wildly contrasting theories of what happened to Tibbetts.
Iowa police investigators testified that they questioned Bahena Rivera after his car, a black Chevrolet Malibu, was captured on surveillance video circling the neighborhood in Brooklyn at the time Tibbetts was last seen alive jogging in the area.
During a lengthy interview, investigators testified that Bahena Rivera allegedly told them he saw Tibbetts jogging and thought she was “hot.” They said he claimed to have followed Tibbetts, gotten out of his car and jogged alongside her, but she rejected his advance and threatened to call the police.
Investigators said Tibbetts was stabbed repeatedly but that Bahena Rivera told them he blacked out and did not recall attacking her. He said he later remembered putting Tibbetts’ body in the trunk of his car when he noticed her earbuds in his lap while he was driving. He claimed, according to investigators, that he drove to the cornfield and buried Tibbetts body under leaves.
In a stunning twist, Bahena Rivera, who speaks little English, testified in his own defense at his trial, claiming he was kidnapped by two masked and armed men, who forced him to drive to where Tibbetts was jogging and one of them killed her and put her body in his car’s trunk.
He claimed he put Tibbetts’ body in the cornfield, but did not go to the police because the kidnappers threatened to harm his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his young daughter, if he spoke to authorities.
(WASHINGTON) — The Education Department on Monday launched civil rights investigations into five states that have barred indoor masking mandates, alleging that the governors are creating an unsafe learning environment for students with disabilities at heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
It’s an aggressive new legal tack from the Biden administration to challenge Republican governors who insist indoor mask mandates don’t work.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that schools are generally safe if students and staff universally wear masks. School districts who struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks this year – oftentimes sending thousands of kids home – typically did not require masks.
The investigations focus on Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The Education Department says it is not including Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona at this time “because those states’ bans on universal indoor masking are not currently being enforced as a result of court orders or other state actions.”
Jamie McCarthy/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
For most of his career, OneRepublic‘s Ryan Tedder admits, he thought of the money side of the music biz as “grotesque” and didn’t pay attention to it. But now he’s changed his attitude, which led to the recent sale of his song catalogue for $276 million.
“For me, it was just a perfect storm,” Ryan tells The Sydney Morning Herald. “If I’d done it four years ago it probably would’ve sold for half that, so I got really lucky. My business team was like, ‘Ryan, if you’re ever going to do it, it’s now or never.’”
Ryan explains that in his 20s and 30s, he “didn’t want to be bothered with anything that had to do with money” because “I thought it was grotesque…it undermined the reason why I got into music.” But, he adds, “In the last five years I’ve sharpened up and I’ve been using my left brain more often.”
Ryan also admits he doesn’t have any “emotional or sentimental attachment,” to any of his songs. As he explains, “The fact that I sold it, I don’t sit there and go, ‘Oh, it’s not my song anymore.’ I wrote that; that’s still my song and I can still perform it.”
And besides, Ryan points out, “In the U.S., your copyrights are legally returned to you after 35 years. I’ll be an old man by then but at least I know all those songs that I just sold I’ll get back and my kids and my grandkids will have them.”
Now, Ryan says he’s focusing on “building a whole new catalogue,” including OneRepublic’s new album, Human, and the songs he’s writing for everyone from Avril Lavigne to Lil Nas X.
