Old Dominion are heading to Atlanta next weekend, where they’ll be helping football fans kick off their tailgate in style with a free show.
The band has signed on to play the T-Mobile Kickoff Concert, which happens September 4 ahead of the Alabama versus Miami Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game. No tickets will be required to see the show, which will take place outside the city’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of limited edition Old Dominion sunglasses.
The show announcement comes just days after the group revealed plans to put out their next studio album, Time, Tequila & Therapy, which is due for release in October. When they shared that news, Old Dominion dropped their newest song, “All I Know About Girls.”
The band’s Atlanta stop comes in the midst of a busy tour schedule. You can also catch OD on the road at a variety of fairs, festivals and arenas throughout the fall.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group
While fans anxiously await the release of Kanye West‘s DONDA, the rapper has reportedly raked in millions from its delay.
One way the Yeezy founder apparently cashed in on his upcoming album is by holding listening events. The first event, held on July 22, was followed by another two weeks later. Both took place at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, with 42,000 fans dishing out between $25 to $100 for a ticket, which Billboardestimates grossed between $1.5 million and $2.7 million.
Both times, DONDA failed to drop the following day, leaving fans on standby.
A third listening party is now scheduled for Thursday at Soldier Field in Kanye’s hometown of Chicago, where he will likely rake in some more dough — and is also expected to finally release his highly-anticipated 10th studio effort.
In addition to the live-streamed listening events, a source close to Ye says he snagged about $7 million in in-person merchandise sales. And that’s not all.
The buzz around DONDA has also resulted in an uptick of people streaming Kanye’s music. The outlet reports that his U.S. streams rose 37% between July 19 and August 9, which earned him an estimated $350,000.
So, if we do the math, Ye could have easily made somewhere close to $10 million before he even released DONDA.
A vinyl box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel‘s career and focusing mainly on his 1970s albums is due out on November 5, the same day Joel will play his first rescheduled residency show at New York’s Madison Square Garden since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 is a nine-LP package featuring the singer/songwriter’s first six studio efforts — 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor, 1973’s RIAA four-times-Platinum Piano Man, 1974’s Streetlife Serenade, 1976’s Turnstiles, 1977’s RIAA Diamond-certified The Stranger and 1978’s seven-times-Platinum 52nd Street — plus his first live album, 1981’s Songs in the Attic, and a previously unreleased two-disc concert album titled Live at The Great American Music Hall – 1975.
The box set, which you can pre-order now, also will feature a booklet that boasts archival photos, Joel’s comments about his early music, tributes from various well-known musicians and celebrities, and an essay by music journalist Anthony DeCurtis.
Live at The Great American Music Hall, which will be available exclusively as part of The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, was recorded in June 1975 in San Francisco. The concert features versions of such popular Joel tunes as “You’re My Home,” “New York State of Mind,” “The Entertainer” and “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” as well as Billy’s imitations of Joe Cocker, Elton John and Leon Russell.
Among the many classic songs features on the box set are “She’s Got a Way,” “Piano Man,” “Captain Jack,” “The Entertainer,” “New York State of Mind,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’ Song),” “She’s Always a Woman,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” My Life,” “Big Shot,” and “Honesty.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 632,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 60.5% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 2:41 pm
Texas sending 2,500 medical workers to support overwhelmed hospitals
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is sending 2,500 medical workers to support the state’s overwhelmed health care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.
This follows the 5,600 medical workers, mostly nurses and respiratory therapists, previously dispatched to the state’s hospitals.
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is also offering more medical equipment including ventilators and hospital beds, the governor said.
Texas had 13,928 COVID-19 patients in hospitals as of Wednesday evening, nearing the state’s record of 14,218 patients in January.
Aug 26, 2:17 pm
Delta employee vaccinations see massive jump
The number of Delta employees going to the airline’s on-site clinic for first vaccine doses has increased more than fivefold Thursday, just 24 hours after the company said it was raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees.
Delta said Wednesday health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees would go up by $200 per month beginning Nov. 1 to cover COVID-19 costs like potential hospitalization, which the airline says has cost it $40,000 per person on average.
Unvaccinated employees will also have to wear masks indoors and be required to take a weekly COVID test beginning Sept. 12.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Aug 26, 11:24 am
New mask, vaccine mandates announced in Illinois
In Illinois, masks will be required indoors regardless of vaccination status beginning on Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday.
The governor also said that vaccines will be required for higher education personnel and students, health care workers and P-12 teachers and staff. The unvaccinated must get tested at least once per week.
“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the governor said, adding that 95% of deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated.
Illinois is now seeing 220 patients admitted to hospitals each day, the highest since May.
Aug 26, 7:45 am
Florida sees record 26,203 new cases in a day
Florida reported 26,203 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, setting a new record for the state’s single-day case counts.
Florida’s previous all-time high was 25,957 new cases recorded on Aug. 12, according to data collected by the CDC.
The seven-day moving average of new cases per day in the Sunshine State now stands at 21,604. In total, Florida has reported more than 3.1 million confirmed cases statewide and over 42,000 deaths.
Aug 26, 5:17 am
Japan suspends 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination concern
Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reported contamination, as the country grapples with surging infections.
Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of distributing the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a press release Thursday that it has received reports of foreign substances in some unused vials at multiple inoculation sites. Although some doses might have been administered, Takeda said there have been no reports of safety concerns tied to the affected vials so far.
After consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Wealth, Takeda said it decided as a safety precaution to stop using doses from three separate lots, manufactured in the same production line as the contaminated vials. The company said it has requested Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation into the issue.
For doses from non-suspended lots, Takeda urged people to check the vials for discolouration, foreign substances or other abnormalities before continuing to use. Meanwhile, the Japanese health ministry said it will work with Takeda to supply alternative doses in an effort to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination progress.
Moderna told ABC News that it has put the 1.63 million doses on hold in Japan after being notified that some of the vials may have been contaminated. One of the three lots received “several complaints of particulate matter” in its vials, the American drugmaker said, while the two other adjacent lots were put on hold out of “an abundance of caution” and for continued assurance of quality.
According to Moderna, the manufacturing issue may have come from one of the lines used at its contract manufacturing site in Spain. The Massachusetts-based company said it is looking into the contamination reports and “proactively communicating with Japan’s health authorities and its partners as the investigation proceeds.” Moderna added that it remains “committed to working transparently and expeditiously” with its Japanese distribution partner and with regulators to address any potential concerns. No safety or efficacy concerns have been identified so far, the company said.
Moderna noted that the pause in Japan does not impact doses distributed in the United States, or put the American supply at risk in any way.
Aug 25, 8:50 pm
Pediatrician emphasizes importance of getting vaccine during pregnancy
Columbia University pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while nursing.
Recent health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that three out of four pregnant women in the U.S. are unvaccinated, and the numbers are lower for Black pregnant women, with nine out of 10 unvaccinated.
Sanchez, who is eight months pregnant and vaccinated, told ABC News that expecting mothers are more vulnerable to diseases and the current data shows the vaccines are safe for them.
“We now know from over close to 40,000 women that there is no increased risk of miscarriage of early delivery of your baby, which are the things that worry a lot of pregnant women,” she said.
Sanchez said she did not hesitate to get her shots once she became eligible.
“I really, really hope that pregnant women out there hear this call and go ahead and get themselves this vaccine and protect themselves, their baby and their pregnancy,” she said.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
High school football dies from COVID
A high school football player in Louisiana who contracted the coronavirus died Wednesday, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.
Patrick Sanders, 14, was a freshman at Baker High School.
Baker, Louisiana Mayor Darnell Waites told the station that the teen’s death highlighted the importance of vaccinations.
“If we want to save lives, we have to make the choice to save lives,” Waites told the station. “This wasn’t his fault.”
The rest of the football team is currently quarantining, WBRZ reported.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
Texas hospital numbers near record high
The Texas Health Department reported Wednesday that 13,928 COVID-19 patients are currently in Texas Hospitals.
This is close to the record 14,218 patients recorded during the January peak.
There are 306 available ICU beds in the state, according to the health department.
Ed Sheeran played an intimate show in England Wednesday night and debuted two brand-new songs from his upcoming album, = [Equals].
At the Coventry gig in celebration of British music retailer HMV’s 100th anniversary, he delivered the first live performances of the tracks “First Times” and “Overpass Graffiti.”
In video captured of the “First Times” performance, Ed contrasts big moments in his career with special little moments in his personal life.
“I thought I’d feel different playing Wembley/80,000 singing with me/It’s what I’ve been chasing, ’cause this is the dream,” he sings.
“I will always love you for what it’s worth/We’ll never fade like graffiti on the overpass/I know time may change the way you think of us/But I remember the way we were/You were the first full-stop love that will never leave/ Baby you’ll never be lost on me,” Ed sings.
Also included in Ed’s 19-song set were his latest single “Bad Habits” and the song “Visiting Hours,” which he released last week, as well as previous hits “Shape of You,” “Thinking Out Loud” and “Castle on the Hill.”
Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun are teaming up to co-direct and co-write a new film called Good Mourning with a U, Deadline reports.
Both MGK and Mod will have roles in the movie, along with Megan Fox, comedian Whitney Cummings, The Descendants star Dove Cameron, Becky G of Power Rangers and Dave actor GaTa, among others. Additionally, Deadline reports that Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson will be making a “special appearance.”
“We’re just happy to be bringing our vision to life,” Kelly and Mod say. “We’re humbled by the trust we have from our cast members and crew.”
Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun previously co-directed and co-wrote Downfalls High, a musical film based on Kelly’s 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall. Good Mourning with a U will mark their theatrical directorial debut.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Thursday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.
President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 11:46 am
Images show wounded, devastation after explosions near Kabul airport
Some of the first photos of the scene of the explosions in Kabul — one which occurred at or near the Baron Hotel and the other at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport — show bloody and wounded people evacuating the area.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there were “a number of US and Afghan civilian casualties.”
Kabul Emergency Hospital told ABC News in a statement, “Around 60 patients wounded in airport attack have arrived at our EMERGENCY NGO’s Kabul Surgical Centre so far.”
Smoke leftover from the blasts and gunfire was seen rising over the airport on Thursday.
Aug 26, 11:06 am
‘Complex attack,’ second explosion at hotel near airport: Pentagon
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate, after earlier confirming an explosion outside the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” he said in a tweet.
The Turkish Defense Ministry, which has had forces helping to secure the airport, also tweeted that two explosions had occurred.
“There were two explosions outside of Kabul Airport. There is no damage or casualty in our unit,” it said, translated from Turkish.
Aug 26, 10:44 am
At least 3 US service members wounded in airport attack: Official
A U.S. official said that at least three U.S. military service members have been wounded in the explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. The official did not know the extent of the injuries. U.S. troops have been stationed near large crowds trying to get inside.
The development comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent another security alert to Americans, warning, “There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire.”
“U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time. U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The Pentagon has delayed a briefing that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said the explosion at the airport coming days before U.S. forces are set to leave the country has made for, “truly, a nightmare scenario.”
Raddatz, who is in contact with Afghans on the ground, said the explosion “devastates” the evacuation process and described the tone in the country as people try to get out in the coming days as “absolute panic.”
“Now today, they’re facing, either a stampede, the Taliban or ISIS bombers — and that really is what it comes down to for all Afghans,” she said.
Aug 26, 10:15 am
Before explosion, acting US ambassador to Afghanistan spoke on GMA about ‘credible’ security threat
Speaking before the explosion outside the Kabul airport, acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, on the ground in Kabul, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that the threat that prompted the U.S. Embassy to warn citizens to leave the airport on Wednesday was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.”
“Being part of these huge crowds that remain around the gates and entrances to the airport is dangerous,” he said, adding the U.S. is working on “other ways on an individualized basis to assist them in getting to the airport in a safe and secure manner.”
“We will do as much as we possibly can, to get as many out as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can, while there is sufficient security that’s provided for us, and no less important, for the travelers themselves, provided by U.S. military forces,” Wilson said.
While the U.S. works to get as many Afghan allies and third-country nationals out of Afghanistan ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline, Wilson acknowledged that the “primary focus” is to evacuate American citizens and said some hopeful evacuees would be left behind.
“There undoubtedly will be people in this country who would like to get out who will be unable to,” he said, adding that the U.S. is talking with the Taliban on how to continue safe evacuations when troops are gone.
Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul
A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.
A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.
The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.
Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon
“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.
U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.
Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.
Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns
U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.
“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”
As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.
Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately
The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.
The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.
In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”
New Limp Bizkit music is coming “very soon,” but you won’t be hearing any of it on the live stage this year.
In an Instagram Story, the “Break Stuff” rockers reveal that they’ve canceled their remaining 2021 tour dates, which included sets at the Aftershock and Rocklahoma festivals. The news comes after Fred Durst and company canceled their summer headlining tour “out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans.”
“Yes, we are all fine, thank you,” Bizkit writes in the post, alongside a heart emoji.
The band then adds, “New songs will begin to leak, one after the other in rapid succession, very soon. Soon thereafter our new album will be released.”
Limp Bizkit has been working on said new album, the follow-up to 2011’s Gold Cobra, for the better part of the last decade. They debuted a new song called “Dad Vibes” during their set at this year’s Lollapalooza.
Meanwhile, Faith No More is set replace Limp Bizkit at the Aftershock festival. Replacements for the other festivals have yet to be announced.
Tom Cruiserecently paid an unexpected visit to a British family when he landed his helicopter in a family’s field in Warwickshire, England. But James Cordenrevealed it’s not the first time the Top Gun star wanted to drop in, literally, for a hang out.
Corden explained on his Late Late Show Wednesday that his movie star pal wanted to get together while Cruise was in the U.K. where he’s working on the seventh Mission: Impossible film.
“He sent me a text saying, ‘Whereabouts are you staying?'” Corden recalled to his audience. “And I said, ‘I’m staying in St. Johns Wood,’ which is pretty central in London…”
“And he said, ‘Cool, can I land my helicopter there?’ And I just presumed he was joking.”
He wasn’t, Corden found out, holding his phone to the camera as proof. “[Tom texted], ‘Can I land my heli in your yard?’ I sent back four crying emojis because who can land a helicopter in a yard? And he put, ‘Does that mean no?'”
While Corden doubted he had the room for such a parking job, considering the small yard, he should have known not to doubt Maverick. “You’d be surprised where I can land,” Cruise responded.
As reported earlier this week, one of those who was surprised was Alison Webb, who had been informed that an “unnamed VIP” needed somewhere to land as Coventry Airport nearby airport was shut. She quickly learned it was Cruise, who not only greeted the gobsmacked family graciously, but gave rides to Webb’s kids and her partner’s children.
“It turned out to be an incredible day,” she told the BBC. “It was surreal, I still now can’t believe it happened.”
Mission: Impossible 7 is expected to open in theaters on May 27, 2022.
JMEnternational/JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/Getty Images
Taylor Swift‘s TikTok takeover continues with a hilarious new confession that she is, indeed, a certified cat lady.
Taylor is the proud cat mom of three kitties — Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin Button — whom she frequently features across her socials, holiday cards, music videos and on her merchandise. However, she revealed in a comical new video that she never intended to become a “cat lady.” In fact, she originally wasn’t a fan of the label and didn’t want that to become part of her identity.
The Grammy winner shared a throwback interview from 2014, which features a then 24-year-old Taylor opening up about the hesitation she had about getting a feline companion for her first cat, Meredith.
“[I talked with] friends about it… before I got the second cat — kinda canvassing everyone I knew, going, ‘Is cats… cat lady?’ Or, you know, two cats is cats and there’s more than one?,” she explained. “And they’re like, ‘No, three cats is a cat lady. Two cats is a party.”
The interview then abruptly cuts off and switches to present-day Taylor, who is sauntering across the room with Meredith bouncing on her hip. The “willow” singer then walks off screen to grab Benjamin and Olivia before offering a knowing glance at the camera.
Taylor captioned the video, “little did she know” and included the telling hashtag #meow.
In addition, she updated her TikTok bio line that now reads, “This is pretty much just a cat account.”
Benjamin is Tay’s newest kitty, whom she met while filming her 2019 music video, “Lover.” The singer even shared a sweet behind-the-scenes video of their fated first meeting, where he stole her heart — and turned her into a cat lady — by purring up a storm the moment she held him.
