After Mike Richards stepped down from hosting Jeopardy!, fans have reignited their efforts to have LeVar Burton succeed the late Alex Trebek.
Over the weekend, Ryan Reynolds joined those in support of the Reading Rainbow star by sharing a story about what can happen when fans make enough noise.
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the Canadian actor explained, “Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it.”
“Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful,” Reynolds, who’s set to star in the upcoming third Deadpool movie, concluded, before then adding, “Hi @levarburton.”
The 64-year-old actor responded to Reynolds’ thread by tweeting two praying hands emojis and a purple heart emoji.
Burton has said hosting Jeopardy! is his “dream job” and had been campaigning for the gig since 2013. Following Trebek’s passing, fans launched a Change.org petition for Burton to become Trebek’s official replacement, which has amassed over 271,000 signatures. He guest-hosted Jeopardy! from July 26 to July 30.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Richards and The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik would succeed Trebek. Then last week, Richards stepped down amid the controversy over past comments he made on a podcast, which many considered to be sexist.
A new, permanent replacement for Trebek, who died November 8 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, has not yet been announced. More guest hosts take the Jeopardy! lectern in the meantime.
Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful.
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t kept theatergoers from flocking to see Free Guy. The action comedy, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer held onto the top spot at the box office, delivering an estimated $18.8 million and bringing its two-week total to $58.8 million stateside. The film also added an estimated $53.1 million overseas, bringing its current worldwide total to $111.9 million.
Free Guy, showing exclusively in theaters, is from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company, Disney.
Nipping at Free Guy‘s heels in second place is PAW Patrol: The Movie, fetching an estimated $13 million domestically. The animated family-friendly feature, based on the popular Nickelodeon kids’ show, added an estimated $21.5 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $34.5 million.
Repeating at third place in its fourth week of release is Disney’s Jungle Cruise, pulling in an estimated $6.2 million. That brings the movie’s domestic box-office total to $92.5 million to go along with an estimated $81.2 million internationally, making its worldwide earnings $173.7 million. Jungle Cruise is also available to Disney+ subscribers for a $30 surcharge.
Don’t Breathe 2, the R-rated follow-up to the 2016 home invasion thriller, sits in fourth place, earning just over $5 million in its second week, to lift its domestic earnings to just shy of $19.7 million. An estimated $7.5 million in overseas earnings brings its worldwide box-office total to around $27.2 million.
The Aretha Franklin biopic Respect grabbed an estimated $3.8 million in its second week of release for a $15.1 million domestic take so far.
It was a pretty disappointing weekend for this weekend’s other newcomers. The Protege, starring Michael Keaton, Maggie Q. and Samuel L. Jackson, finished in seventh place with an estimated $2.9 million, while The Night House, starring Rebecca Hall, placed eighth with an estimated $2.86 million
Finally, Hugh Jackman‘s sci-fi thriller Reminiscence had a pretty forgettable opening weekend, delivering an estimated $2 million for a ninth-place finish.
Flag Day, directed and starring Sean Penn and co-starring his daughter, Dylan Penn, also opened to disappointing numbers, earning an estimated $40,750 from 24 theaters.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — On the fourth day of waiting, “Ahmad” had enough. He left Kabul airport, heading back through the Taliban checkpoints and bringing his family of five home.
Desperate for safety and security for his wife and three children, he felt he had no choice but to step back into the fray with his family in search of food, water and a reprieve from the brutal heat.
Stories like Ahmad, whose real name ABC News is not using for his safety, speak to the deteriorating conditions at Kabul’s airport, where thousands of U.S. troops and diplomats are working in overdrive to help evacuate tens of thousands of U.S. citizens, Afghan partners and other foreigners.
So far, the U.S. has evacuated roughly 30,300 people since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan a little over one week ago, according to a White House official.
Outside the airport’s walls, chaotic crowds have tried to press into the airport, now closed except to those given specific instructions to enter. At least seven people have died in the crush, according to an internal State Department memo obtained by ABC News. Taliban fighters guarding checkpoints around the airport have fired into the air to disperse crowds or beaten them back with whips and rifle butts, including some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
“More than 10,000 Afghans surrounded the gates and conditions remained volatile outside the gates,” the internal situation report said Sunday.
But inside, where thousands have been processed and are waiting for a seat on a flight out, crowds have been forced to sleep on the tarmac and spend days in the blazing hot sun. While troops from the U.S., United Kingdom, Turkey, and elsewhere have distributed food and water, the enormous size of the crowds has meant some people go without for days.
“Our overriding priority remains to put as many people as possible on departing planes as quickly as possible. Within the past 24 hours, nearly 60 flights have departed, bringing nearly 8,000 people to safety,” a State Dept spokesperson told ABC News Sunday.
Ahmad decided that he could not wait any longer for help, according to an American who works closely with him and spoke to ABC News on a condition of anonymity.
“This is a man who has been waiting for a long time for his SIV to come through, who has been directly threatened by the Taliban. And yet, when so close to his dream of safety and protection, he decided it was safer to go back home than to keep his family in this U.S. military-run facility any longer,” the source said.
Another source, an American on the ground at the airport, told ABC News the situation was a “non-permissive environment,” which is a term diplomats, aid workers and troops use for difficult conditions where uncertainty and instability make it unsafe to operate.
Among the issues now are a group of unaccompanied minors, which are children that separated from their parents amid the crowds or in certain cases deliberately. Video of a family passing their infant child to U.S. Marine went viral earlier this week, with a Marines spokesperson later confirming that the baby was given needed medical attention and reunited with its father.
But four children are not so lucky. A source on the ground said that their father was killed by the Taliban, and their mother was trampled to death in the stampede outside the gates this week, leaving them orphaned and waiting in the passenger terminal, according to the source, who said U.S. officials are unable to find any next of kin and don’t know what to do with them.
Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(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.
The U.S. has evacuated approximately 17,000 people since Aug. 14, White House officials said late Saturday morning. Pentagon officials have said their focus remains on maintaining the airport perimeter and increasing the number of evacuees out of Kabul.
President Joe Biden returned to Washington from Camp David on Wednesday and sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He addressed the nation on evacuation efforts Friday.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 5:28 am
Taliban warns of ‘consequences’ if Biden extends withdrawal deadline: ‘It’s a red line’
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that Aug. 31, the date Biden has set for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, is a “red line” and extending it would “provoke a reaction.”
The U.S. president said Sunday he would not rule out extending the withdrawal deadline beyond Aug. 31, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly expected to urge Biden for an extension. But the Taliban spokesman warned “there would be consequences.”
“President Biden announced that on the 31st of August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said in a recent interview with Sky News. “I think it will deteriorate the relation that will create mistrust between us.”
Aug 23, 5:05 am
At least 1 killed, 3 wounded in gunfight at Kabul airport
One Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a shootout with unidentified attackers at the international airport in Kabul on Monday morning, the German military announced via Twitter.
Both German and American forces returned fire when the shooting erupted at the north gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. No German soldiers were hurt in the exchange, according to the German military.
The U.S. military is aware of an incident at one of the gates, a defense official told ABC News.
The deadly gun battle occurred as the United States and other Western nations oversaw the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners desperate to flee the Taliban-controlled country.
Aug 22, 10:48 pm
Southwest to begin domestic refugee flights
Joining other international airlines like United, Delta and American, Southwest Airlines announced Sunday that it will work with the Department of Defense to help transport domestic refugees from Afghanistan.
“We are proud to support our military’s critical humanitarian airlift mission, and we are grateful to our Employees for demonstrating an eagerness to support these military efforts, once again displaying their true Southwest Heart,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
Southwest said it plans to operate four of these types of flights on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
“Of course, the Southwest Team stands ready to provide additional support to the Department of Defense, if needed,” the company said.
Aug 22, 5:34 pm
Biden again defends decision to withdraw
The president pushed back against critics who questioned his timing about pulling American forces from Afghanistan.
Biden reiterated that the 20-year war has already left 2,448 Americans dead and 20,722 wounded and cost $300 million a day.
“Either increase the number of forces we keep there and keep that going, or I end the war. I decided to end the war,” he said.
The president stressed that America will remain vigilant against overseas terrorists.
“So the question is, when is the right time to leave? Where are our national interests? Where do they lie?” Biden asked.
Saturday’s “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” was cut short thanks to Hurricane Henri.
The event, which was held in Central Park and put on by Live Nation and industry icon Clive Davis, came to a halt just after the halfway mark when lightening struck within a 10-mile radius, Varietyreports.
According to the outlet, the good times came to an end for 60,0000 attendees at the two-hour-and-37-minute mark, in the midst of Barry Manilow belting out “I Can’t Smile Without You.” An announcer interrupted the performance saying, “Attention. Please pay close attention to the following safety measures. Due to approaching severe weather, all persons should move quickly and calmly to the nearest exits and proceed to your vehicles and protected areas.”
Performers and concertgoers both waited out the weather in hopes the show would go on, with talks that perhaps the event could continue even without an audience and strictly as broadcast. However, after about three hours and no signs of the weather letting up, it was announced that it was a wrap.
“We Love NYC” was scheduled to be a five-hour event that would treat attendees to performances from stars representing an array of genres. Among those who hit the stage before things went awry were Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, Earth Wind & Fire, LL Cool J, Kane Brown, Journey, Santana, Jon Batiste and Polo G.
Meanwhile, acts including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Maluma, Patti Smith and the Killers were stunted.
(NEW YORK) — Henri continues to churn across the northeastern United States after weakening from a tropical storm to a tropical depression.
The storm made landfall as a tropical storm in Rhode Island early Sunday afternoon, bringing wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 4 feet to the surrounding regions.
The system weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday night and is expected to move northwest from upstate New York to southern Vermont on Monday.
Dangerous storm surge, hurricane conditions and flooding rain will continue in parts of the Northeast.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 9:18 am
Biden approves emergency declaration for Vermont after New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island
The White House announced Monday that President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Vermont due to Henri, following his previous approvals for New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Biden ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts in Vermont due to the emergency conditions resulting from the storm. The move authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, according to a press release from the White House.
Aug 23, 6:46 am
Flash flood watches remain for 8 states
Henri continued to dump rain across the Northeast on Monday morning, as the storm’s remnants stalled in eastern New York.
Flash flood watches remain in effect for eight states in the region, from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. The area could see an additional 2 to 3 inches of rainfall on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
What’s left of Henri is forecast to move east later Monday before heading out of the Northeast by Tuesday.
Aug 23, 5:43 am
Over 53,000 without power in 2 states
More than 53,000 customers across two states were still without power early Monday morning as Henri slowly moved over the New England area.
As of 5 a.m. ET, there were 44,104 customers without power in Rhode Island, where Henri made landfall, while 9,737 were without power in Connecticut, according to data collected by PowerOutage.US.
Aug 22, 8:46 pm
Henri downgraded to tropical depression
Henri continued to weaken Sunday night and is now downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is now located 10 miles southwest of Hartford, Connecticut and has sustained winds of 35 mph.
The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm will continue to produce heavy rainfall and flooding across portions of southern New England and Northern mid-Atlantic states through Monday.
Aug 22, 7:35 pm
Power to be restored by mid-week: National Grid
National Grid said it is deploying over 4,000 personnel in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to restore power to affected areas.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, approximately 72,600 customers in Rhode Island and 8,500 in Massachusetts were without power, according to the utility.
“The hardest hit communities in Rhode Island include South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, Jamestown, Charlestown and North Kingstown,” National Grid said in a news release.
The utility said it estimates to have power restored to all affected customers by mid-week.
(NEW YORK) — Henri continues to churn across the northeastern United States after weakening from a tropical storm to a tropical depression.
The storm made landfall as a tropical storm in Rhode Island early Sunday afternoon, bringing wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 4 feet to the surrounding regions.
The system weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday night and is expected to move northwest from upstate New York to southern Vermont on Monday.
Dangerous storm surge, hurricane conditions and flooding rain will continue in parts of the Northeast.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 6:46 am
Flash flood watches remain for 8 states
Henri continued to dump rain across the Northeast on Monday morning, as the storm’s remnants stalled in eastern New York.
Flash flood watches remain in effect for eight states in the region, from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. The area could see an additional 2 to 3 inches of rainfall on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
What’s left of Henri is forecast to move east later Monday before heading out of the Northeast by Tuesday.
Aug 23, 5:43 am
Over 53,000 without power in 2 states
More than 53,000 customers across two states were still without power early Monday morning as Henri slowly moved over the New England area.
As of 5 a.m. ET, there were 44,104 customers without power in Rhode Island, where Henri made landfall, while 9,737 were without power in Connecticut, according to data collected by PowerOutage.US.
Aug 22, 8:46 pm
Henri downgraded to tropical depression
Henri continued to weaken Sunday night and is now downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is now located 10 miles southwest of Hartford, Connecticut and has sustained winds of 35 mph.
The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm will continue to produce heavy rainfall and flooding across portions of southern New England and Northern mid-Atlantic states through Monday.
Aug 22, 7:35 pm
Power to be restored by mid-week: National Grid
National Grid said it is deploying over 4,000 personnel in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to restore power to affected areas.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, approximately 72,600 customers in Rhode Island and 8,500 in Massachusetts were without power, according to the utility.
“The hardest hit communities in Rhode Island include South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, Jamestown, Charlestown and North Kingstown,” National Grid said in a news release.
The utility said it estimates to have power restored to all affected customers by mid-week.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta 3, Baltimore 1
Kansas City 9, Chi Cubs 1
San Francisco 2, Oakland 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 9, Chi White Sox 0
Detroit 5, Toronto 3
Seattle 6, Houston 3
Cleveland 3, LA Angels 0
Texas at Boston (Postponed)
Minnesota at NY Yankees (Postponed)
—— NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 3, Miami 1
St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 0
Milwaukee 7, Washington 3
Arizona 8, Colorado 4
Philadelphia 7, San Diego 4
NY Mets 7, LA Dodgers 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Cleveland 17, NY Giants 13
San Francisco 15, LA Chargers 10
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Los Angeles 86, New York 83
Seattle 85, Washington 78
This week, Justin Moore‘s on track to earn his tenth career #1, as “We Didn’t Have Much” makes a place for itself at the top of the country airplay chart.
But it wasn’t that long ago — 2009, to be exact — when the Arkansas native was struggling to find his first success. At that point, he’d put out one single — which peaked at #38 — and he knew he needed a hit to hang on to his record deal.
“Obviously ‘Back That Thing Up’ didn’t do very well,” Justin recalls, “and then the label wanted to go with ‘Small Town USA,’ and I liked the song because of what it meant to me.”
“But I thought, ‘I don’t know if it’s commercial enough. I don’t know if enough people can relate to it.’ Fortunately, I was wrong,” he chuckles.
Even though “Small Town USA” would become the first in a string of number ones, it wasn’t necessarily easy, taking nearly a year for it to reach the pinnacle.
“It was a tough record,” Justin admits. “It was a 50-plus-week record and we lost the bullet, golly, two or three times. I remember being out at the ACMs that first or second year I went, and we were working that song. And I remember having really difficult conversations with the label, like, ‘we don’t know’ kind of deal.”
“And finally we turned the corner and it obviously was a huge record for us,” he continues. “So that one was very important because without that — it sounds obvious — I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Two years later, Justin would grab his second #1 with his career-defining smash “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.”
“We Didn’t Have Much” is the lead single from Justin’s Straight Outta the Country collection.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 628,000 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 60.2% 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 Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 23, 9:49 am
NYC school staff must get vaccine
All of New York City’s nearly 150,000 public school employees must receive at least one vaccine dose by Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce Monday. The new vaccination policy will not allow weekly testing as an option.
Aug 23, 9:46 am
FDA grants full approval for Pfizer vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the first COVID-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.
The full approval indicates that Pfizer has shown enough effectiveness and safety data to meet the stringent Biologics License Application requirements, which includes at least six months of safety data from a majority of the volunteers in a large, final stage clinical trial.
Pfizer’s full approval will pave the way for further vaccine mandates in both the public and private sector. Some businesses and state leaders have held off thus far, signaling they’d wait for full approval before imposing tighter requirements.
Federal, state and local health officials have also expressed optimism that full approval will help dissolve some of the lingering hesitancy around taking a shot that until now has been only authorized for emergency use.
Aug 23, 7:48 am
Rev. Jesse Jackson ‘responding’ to COVID treatment
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is in the hospital with COVID-19, is responding positively to treatment, his son told ABC Chicago station WLS.
The 79-year-old, who has Parkinson’s disease, was vaccinated for COVID-19 in January, WLS reported.
His wife, Jacqueline, 77, is also in the hospital with COVID-19 and is resting comfortably, their son, Jonathan Jackson, said.
“She is having some oxygen but is able to function and breathe on her own without a respirator,” he told WLS.
Aug 23, 4:43 am
Over 880,000 Moderna vaccine doses donated by US arrive in Kenya
More than 880,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Kenya on Monday morning.
The 880,460 doses were given to the East African nation by the U.S. government via the global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX, according to a press release from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which is leading vaccine procurement and delivery efforts on behalf of COVAX. It is the first of two shipments, totaling 1.76 million donate doses.
The donation marks the first time that Kenya has received the Moderna vaccine, widening the portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines available for the country’s ongoing rollout of its national immunization campaign. All Kenyans over the age of 18 are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Kenya aims to vaccinate 10 million of its 53 million people by the end of the year.
So far, Kenya has reported more than 229,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including at least 4,497 deaths, according to the latest data from the Kenyan Ministry of Health.
