As the Omicron variant surges across the country, DJ Khaled is promoting a new home test for COVID-19.
The Grammy winner has partnered with the eMed company for a multi-million dollar “Keep America Healthy” campaign aimed at improving COVID-19 testing in the United States.
“Everybody, and I mean everybody has to be tested when they come to my house,” Khaled says in a promo video. “What’s so beautiful about eMed is that you can get tested at home, at your pool, your office, your studio, wherever you’re at. Right there, get tested and get your results in 15 minutes right there on your phone verified. Be smart. Trust, Verify.”
eMed CEO and co-founder Dr. Patrice Harris announced the collaboration with Khaled Wednesday at the CES tech trade show in Las Vegas.
“We believe that when people don’t feel well, they should be able to take an accurate test at home, receive verified and validated results and get rapid access to the right treatment as soon as possible,” Dr. Harris said in a statement “We’re thrilled to be in Las Vegas among like-minded disruptive companies showing how we can use technology to improve the human experience.
“I’m particularly excited about our upcoming campaign, as we know too well that the message is as important as the messenger,” she continued. “We need to cut through the noise and help Americans understand the options they have at hand to stay safe, healthy and productive.”
Publication of this story does not constitute endorsement of eMed by ABC News, its affiliates or The Walt Disney Company.
(SPOILERS FOR “SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME”) Cutting-edge tech company MARZ crafted eye-popping visual effects for shows like the Emmy-winning WandaVision and Watchmen, and for big-screen projects including Marvel’s Eternals and the recent blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The company’s name is an acronym for its stock in trade: Monsters, Aliens, Robots and Zombies. And while its wizards have brought those to life, it’s their expertise in more subtle effects that has won them acclaim.
The best effects are the ones we don’t notice. One of the company’s specialties is digital de-aging: doing with pixels things of which a plastic surgeon could only dream.
The company’s Partner and Chief Operating Officer Matt Panousis tells ABC Audio there’s a “huge demand” for their services. “[Y]ou have so many actors and actresses in their primes right now that want to maintain…their careers in their primes,” he says.
He adds, “it opens up the possibility for actors to play roles that are not representative of their true ages.”
Effects artist and company co-president Lon Molnar enthuses, “From a storytelling point of view, I mean, this is exciting for audiences to be able to see, you know, a younger Michael Douglas [in the MCU] or younger — I don’t want to give anything away — but in Spider-Man just being able to see, you know, younger actors or the way they were perceived 20 years ago.”
MARZ worked extensively on shaping Paul Bettany‘s Vision in WandaVision. So how do they feel about Bettany being nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe?
“I think it’s amazing, and we’re really pleased,” Molnar says, “…but at the end of the day, it all comes down to…Paul’s performance, and all we are doing is enhancing that performance.”
Walker Hayes might be “trying to stay out of AA” in his current single, but in his just-released new tune, “Drinking Songs,” he’s falling prey to “ciga-regrets” and the kind of heartache only a stiff drink can cure.
It’s the first song on the track list of Country Stuff The Album, an upcoming expansion on his 2021 EP of the same title. That project also includes his mega-hit, “Fancy Like,” plus follow-up single “AA” and 10 more tracks.
Though he’s six years sober, Walker says he loves revisiting the heady healing powers of alcohol through the lyrics of his new song.
“‘Drinking Songs’ is one of my favorites off the new album. I don’t drink anymore but I still connect with how a song can get you through, just like a drink can for some people,” he explains. “We’ve all been in a bar full of people singing together, arms around each other. Plus, the lyrics and the beat have a relatable quality to them that feels so country to me.”
Later this month, Walker’s kicking off The Fancy Like Tour.
Charlie Puth may have opened up a can of worms after participating in the latest TikTok challenge, where people are asked to name a beloved singer that they can’t stand. The “Attention” singer seemingly has no love for Billie Eilish.
Charlie didn’t say who he disliked outright, but he did leave enough context clues that have some fans believing he’s shading the Grammy winner. The video starts with him beatboxing before he dramatically says, “I have my Invisalign in. I wonder what note that is.” He then rolls his eyes and resumes beatboxing.
It didn’t take long for speculation to begin in the comments to Charlie’s post. You may recall that Billie is known for using an Invisalign, which is an alternative to metal braces. In the song “!!!!!!!,” which is the opening track of Billie’s debut studio album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?, Billie introduces the album and says she spit out her clear aligners. In addition, her brother FINNEAS told Vulture that Billie has to take out her Invisalign because it makes her sing with a lisp.
Charlie has yet to clarify who he referenced in his TikTok video.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Justin Bieber‘s non-Canadian fans can finally get their hands on his exclusive merchandise line with Tim Hortons.
Justin, who recently partnered with the beloved coffee chain to release his Timbebs — a spin on the donut hole snacks called Timbits, has now launched an online shop filled with goodies. It appears the coffee chain expanded their market reach beyond the Canadian borders because so many non-Canadian Beliebers begged to add the official merch to their collections.
“You asked, so we made it happen,” the online store touts.
Although there is nothing edible up for grabs, fans can stock up on other delicious offerings like an exclusive beanie or tote bag. Also, for those who want to store snacks for later, there is also an official TimBiebs fanny pack that the website says it “fits it all — phone, keys, wallet, and more.”
All items retail for about $30 USD and are available for U.S. residents to purchase, but only for a limited time.
Hollywood is mourning the passing of the legendary Sidney Poitier, who died Friday. He was 94.
Poitier became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor, in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. He is also remembered for starring in A Raisin in the Sun, To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and many more classic films.
Tyler Perry, Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis and Debbie Allen are among the stars paying tribute to a true icon.
Tyler Perry: “The grace and class that this man has shown throughout his entire life, the example he set for me, not only as a Black man but as a human being will never be forgotten. There is no man in this business who has been more of a North Star for me than Sidney Poitier.”
“I’ll never forget inviting him and Cicely [Tyson] to fly to South Africa with me. Selfishly, I wanted to hold them both captive for the hours-long trip as I literally sat at their feet and listened to their wisdom and experiences. It was life changing…Thank you for being willing to share YOU to make us all better.”
Whoopi Goldberg: “To Sir… with Love Sir Sidney Poitier R.I.P. He showed us how to reach for the stars.”
Viola Davis: “This is a big one. No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life. The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!!”
Debbie Allen: “Your last sunset with us is the dawn of many generations rising in the path of light you blazed. We will always hold you in our hearts and forever speak your name.”
Although the Palm Springs International Film Awards were called off because of COVID-19, Lady Gaga was still honored with the prestigious Icon Award.
The “Rain on Me” singer accepted the honor and spoke about the meaning behind her win in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“Thank you so much to the#palmspringsfilmawards for the Icon Award. I dedicate this to all the beautiful communities who have come together for years to support a shared vision for kindness and bravery in the art of life,” Gaga wrote, and shared a selfie of her posing with the trophy.
Gaga continued, “We deconstructed iconography with a repetition of images that were broken — many individuals, and not just singular stories, but many stories of the lives of real people who deserve love and liberation. My icon is a mirror. My icon is you.”
As previously reported, the singer earned the Icon Award following her “tour-de-force performance” in House of Gucci, in which she plays Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who was convicted of arranging the murder of her ex-husband, Italian fashion heir Maurizio Gucci.
Gaga now joins fellow Icon Award winners Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Willem Dafoe, Robert Duvall and Tom Hanks.
The Palm Springs International Film Awards was to have taken place on January 6, 2022 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, but the ceremony was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Are Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello on the path of reconciliation? While the jury is still out on that, paparazzi have snagged photos of the two recently walking side by side with their dog, Tarzan.
TMZ obtained the pap photos and video, which shows the former couple taking a sunny stroll in Miami, Florida, on Thursday. Shawn was holding onto Tarzan’s leash as Camila walked next to him. They weren’t walking super close to one another, but they did appear cordial.
The two adopted Tarzan together in November 2020 and regularly shared photos or stories about the goofy pup over the years. Most recently, the golden retriever was credited for helping Camila compose her recent single, “Don’t Go Yet,” when he crashed a jam session.
Shawn and Camila announced back in November via Instagram Stories that they were no longer together and released a joint statement that read, “Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for another as humans is stronger than ever.” They also said at the time that they “will continue to be best friends.”
Edgar Winter has organized a star-studded tribute album to his late older brother, blues-rock guitar great Johnny Winter, that features contributions from an impressive list of musicians who knew or were inspired by Johnny.
Titled Brother Johnny: An All-Star Tribute to Johnny Winter, the album will be released on April 15, and includes the talents of Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, The Doobie Brothers‘ Michael McDonald and John McFee, ex-Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, Foo Fighters‘ Taylor Hawkins, Toto‘s Steve Lukather, and many others.
Brother Johnny is a 17-track collection curated by Edgar and producer Ross Hogarth. In addition to featuring various covers and renditions of songs by Johnny, it also includes two new originals by Edgar. The first single, a cover of the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B.Goode,” has been released as an advanced digital track, while a visualizer video has premiered at Edgar’s YouTube channel. The tune features Edgar and Walsh sharing lead vocals, Edgar on piano and sax, and David Grissom — a fellow Texan like the Winter brothers — on guitar.
Walsh also plays guitar on version of Johnny’s “Stranger” that features McDonald and Starr as well.
Edgar says “Johnny B. Goode” is a significant song in his and Johnny’s life because it helped give them their first big break as musicians when their early band Johnny and the Jammers played it at a Texas talent contest and they won the chance to make their first record.
On paying tribute to Johnny with the album, Edgar notes, “[O]ne thing will always remain the same…that bond, of brotherhood, of family, of music, and of love. So in his name, I dedicate this album. Brother Johnny.”
Sidney Poitier, the Oscar-winning actor who brought a quiet dignity to his characters on screen and helped break down the color barrier in Hollywood, has died at age 94.
Poitier’s death was confirmed by two Bahamian ministers. Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper told ABC News he was “conflicted with great sadness and a sense of celebration when I learned of the passing of Sir Sidney Poitier.”
“Sadness that he would no longer be here to tell him how much he means to us, but celebration that he did so much to show the world that those from the humblest beginnings can change the world and that we gave him his flowers while he was with us,” he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell also told ABC News, “We’ve lost a great Bahamian and I’ve lost a personal friend.”
Poitier became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. He was perhaps best known for his role as a Black doctor engaged to a white woman in 1967’s groundbreaking film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, in which he starred opposite Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.
That same year, Poitier portrayed his most successful character, Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs, working alongside a racist white Southern police chief, played by Rod Steiger, in the crime drama In the Heat of the Night. It was a role Poitier would reprise in two sequels. His third film in 1967, To Sir, with Love, in which he played an inner-city teacher, helped take him to the top of the box office that year.
Born in Miami February 20, 1927, while his Bahamian parents were on vacation there, Poitier spent most of his childhood in the Bahamas. As a teen, he was sent to live with one of his brothers in Miami, and at age 16, moved on his own to New York City. After working a series of menial jobs and a brief stint in the Army, he finally landed a spot at the American Negro Theatre in Harlem.
Poitier made his film debut in 1950 in No Way Out, playing a doctor treating a white bigot. His breakthrough role came in 1955 playing a student in an inner-city school in Blackboard Jungle. By 1958, he had earned his first Academy Award nomination, starring in the crime drama The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis.
Other memorable Poitier film roles included the musical Porgy and Bess, the film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun, and A Patch of Blue.
Starting in the 1970s, Poitier directed a number of films, including Uptown Saturday Night and Let’s Do It Again, with Bill Cosby. In 1980, he directed the hit comedy Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.
After retiring from acting in 1997, Poitier served as the non-resident Bahamian ambassador to Japan until 2007.
In 2002, 38 years after receiving his best actor Oscar, Poitier was given an honorary Academy Award for his “remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.” In 2009, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor.
Poitier is survived by six daughters, four of whom he had with first wife Juanita Hardy. He is also survived by his current wife, Joanna Shimkus, the mother of two of his daughters, including actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier.
