It was a special weekend in Atlanta for Future as he celebrated his 38th birthday, and received a plaque for “Life Is Good,” featuring Drake, being RIAA-certified Diamond for ten million sales.
Friday night, the “Mask Off” rapper hosted a Mafia-themed birthday party attended by Drake, according to HotNewHipHop.com Later, Drizzy hosted an after party at Dave & Busters. Saturday night, Future’s manager, Dwight Elder, presented him with the Diamond plaque.
“Life Is Good” was released January 10, 2020 as the third single from Future’s eighth studio album, High Off Life. The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for eight consecutive weeks. It’s one of many Future/Drake collabos, including “Where Ya At,” “Jumpman,” “Used to This” and “Way 2 Sexy,” with Young Thug, from the Champagne Papi’s Certified Lover Boy album.
Luke Combs continues to break records in country music.
As his latest single, “Cold As You,” ascends to #1 on country radio, it makes him the first artist in history to have seven consecutive #1 singles off the same album.
“Cold As You” and its predecessors “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “Even Though I’m Leaving,” “Does to Me,” “Lovin’ on You,” “Better Together” and “Forever After All” are all lifted from the deluxe album, What You See Ain’t Always What You Get, setting a record for most chart-topping hits off the same project.
“Cold As You” marks Luke’s 12th consecutive #1 single overall.
Luke’s 2019 sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get, and the deluxe edition released in 2020 both debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
The superstar singer was recently crowned Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards for the first time. He’s set to embark on a headlining stadium tour in 2022 that includes stops at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High, among other venues.
While some people might panic at the idea of celebrating two back-to-back birthdays, Justin Bieber welcomes the opportunity to tell his loved ones just how much they mean to him. A day after setting the bar for big brothers everywhere when celebrating his little brother, Jaxon, turning 12, Justin Bieber penned a swoon-worthy birthday tribute for his wife, Hailey, who turned 25 on Monday.
Again, sharing a collage of cozy-looking photos, Justin took to Instagram and gushed, “To my beloved birthday squish. My heart belongs to you. My eyes belong to you, my lips belong to you. I am yours. I am so blessed to be yours. You are my forever.”
“Life has never made more sense until you became my wife,” the Grammy winner sweetly said to his bride of three years. “I will never stop loving you, I will never stop holding you, and I will never stop protecting you.”
Calling Hailey his “queen,” Justin vowed, “I will spend everyday making you feel like the queen that you are.”
He ended on an adorable note, by referencing a fond memory of the model’s maternal grandmother, Mary Ellen Deodato.
“As your grandma would say in her Portuguese accent ‘happy bursday baby,'” he wrote, ” I love you until the end of time and then after that.”
Among the many never-before-seen photos he shared Monday were snaps of the two relaxing by the beach, enjoying fancy dinners and of her recent birthday bash.
Following their battle with New Kids on the Block Sunday night on the American Music Awards, two members of New Edition will perform in the Christmas special, A Very Boy Band Holiday.
Bobby Brown and Michael Bivins will sing with members of five more male groups. Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men will also be featured, along with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block; Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass of *NSYNC; Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre of 98 Degrees, and Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town.
All of the artists will perform their classic tunes, as well as each group’s greatest holiday hits. Surprise guests will drop by, and viewers will also hear a new original song called “A Very Boy Band Holiday,” performed by Joey Fatone and Wanya Morris.
A Very Boy Band Holiday airs Monday, December 6 at 8 p.m. ET on A
Looks like America really needed a good cry last week because Taylor Swift‘s newly rerecorded version of “All Too Well” is the top song in the country. The tear-jerking ballad dethroned Adele‘s “Easy on Me,” which falls to second place, and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 — marking Taylor’s eighth official chart-topper.
“All Too Well” is featured on the recently released Red (Taylor’s Version), which offers two versions of the heartbreak anthem — a regular, radio-friendly shorter song and the mythical 10-minute version. Fans spent years begging Taylor to release the latter, which she not only did, but also directed and released a short film to accompany the single. She also gave it a folklore facelift just last week with the “Sad Girl Autumn” remix.
Billboard combined the data from the long, short and the “Sad Girl Autumn” version of “All Too Well,” which helped propel the single to the top of the Hot 100. Its new ranking smashes the previous record it held when the song appeared on the chart in 2012 at number 80.
This also means that Taylor has accomplished a new feat: she’s now the proud creator of the lengthiest song to top the Hot 100. She dethrones Don McLean, whose eight-minute and 37-second “American Pie (Parts I & II)” held the record since 1972.
Taylor’s also is the first artist to send a cover of her own song to the top since EltonJohn did with his 1973 single, “Candle in the Wind.” Two covers of that song, recorded in 1988 and 1997, went on to number one.
Billboard notes the last time a cover dominated its Hot 100 was in 2001, when Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim performed Labelle‘s 1975 hit “Lady Marmalade” for the movie Moulin Rouge!
(BATTLE CREEK, Mich.) — Negotiations are resuming on Monday between Kellogg Co. and the union representing some 1,400 cereal plant workers who have been on strike for more than six weeks.
The workers, who have been striking since Oct. 5, are being represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM). Talks between union leaders and Kellogg’s fizzled early in November after the two sides failed to reach an agreement and further negotiations were put on hold for weeks before Monday’s meeting.
The ongoing strike involves Kellogg’s plants across four states and comes amid a spate of work stoppages hitting the private sector in the U.S. Unique labor market conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 shock to the economy, including record-high levels of workers quitting their jobs, have been linked to new employee activism in recent weeks.
“We look forward to getting back to the table and are committed to negotiating in good faith,” Kellogg’s said in an update Friday. “We remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement soon so our employees can get back to work and back to their lives.”
The union rejected a proposal from Kellogg’s on Nov. 4, saying in a statement at the time that the company’s “last, best and final offer does not achieve what our members are asking for; a predictable pathway to fully vested, fully benefitted employment for all employees with no concessions.”
“The company came to the table insisting that there will only be an agreement if the Union accepts the company proposal exactly as it has been written,” the union’s statement added. “The company’s proposal was filled with conditions and terms as to what was acceptable to Kellogg’s. These terms and conditions are unacceptable to our members.”
After the union rejected the proposal, Kellogg said it was continuing operations at the four plants where the workers are on strike with hourly and salaried employees and “third-party resources producing food.”
“The bottom line is that our proposals address what the union has told us are their primary concerns,” Ken Hurley, Kellogg’s head of labor relations, said in a statement. “The union does not seem interested in revising its proposals or exploring creative solutions to resolve issues.”
The union and Kellogg’s did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for further comment.
The striking workers in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee help produce Kellogg cereals including Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Fruit Loops, Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes, according to the union.
A separate strike at agricultural machinery giant John Deere ended just last week after waging on for over a month. The new agreement gave John Deere workers an $8,500 signing bonus and a 20% increase in wages over the life of the contract, among other things, in a deal some say highlights the new power workers are seizing in a post-pandemic labor market.
(NEW YORK) — COVID-19 booster shots are now authorized for anyone over the age of 18. For anyone hoping to get a COVID-19 booster dose before the Thanksgiving holiday, experts say it’s important to understand that protection doesn’t kick in right away.
Although the body starts to increase antibodies within a few days after the shot, it takes two weeks for peak protection to return.
“There is a meaningful increase in antibody titers by one week and peak responses at 2 weeks following mRNA boosting,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
More than 32 million people in the U.S. have already received a COVID-19 booster dose. The FDA and CDC say it’s safe to mix and match boosters.
COVID-19 booster shots are composed of the same formulation as the current COVID-19 vaccines. But the Moderna vaccine booster is given at half the dose of the primary Moderna series.
Studies show the immunity gained from the primary vaccine series may decline over time — particularly protection against mild breakthrough infections. Therefore, experts recommend booster vaccination to increase immunity.
“The booster shot will have a similar response as the second dose of the primary series. The highest antibody level will be around 10-14 days and then things will level off. The antibody levels will decline as it would with all vaccines, however the boosters help to stabilize the antibody levels,” said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health in Massachusetts.
Public health experts say booster shots could also help slow the spread of COVID-19 within communities. However, to truly curb the pandemic, it’s far more important for the unvaccinated to get their initial doses.
The expanded authorization of the Moderna and Pfizer boosters comes right in time for the holidays to allow many more Americans to get their booster shots before the holidays for safer travels and gatherings. The expanded authorization to now everyone over the age of 18 also helps eliminate any confusion on who may receive booster shots and ensures boosters are available to everyone who needs one.
Esra Demirel, MD is an OB-GYN resident physician at Northwell Health-North Shore University Hospital & LIJ Medical Center and is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.
(WASHINGTON) — More than 90% of the nation’s 3.5 million federal workers have gotten at least one COVID shot with the “vast majority” of employees fully vaccinated and another 5% either requesting an extension or exemption, the Biden administration was expected to announce on Monday.
Officials said the numbers — which include civilian and military personnel — show the government won’t see disruptions this holiday season in because of the mandate.
It’s still unclear though exactly how many workers in critical jobs like border patrol, prisons and airport security have sought medical or religious exemptions. It also wasn’t immediately clear when those employees would run out of options if denied, with agencies just now beginning the counseling process but given ample leeway to decide how to handle workers who refuse to get a shot.
“There won’t be disruptions to government services and operations,” said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of an announcement later Monday. “At each step of this process we’ll see even more employees getting vaccinated.”
Overall, the White House says 95% of employees total are “in compliance,” meaning they either have at least one dose or have filed a medical or religious exemption or asked for an extension, said the official. That includes 93% of workers at the Transportation Security Administration.
The White House Office of Management and Budget was expected to release more details on Wednesday, including a breakdown of vaccination rates by agency.
The mandate is the nation’s first test of President Joe Biden’s insistence that employer requirements work. Biden has proposed a separate Jan. 4 mandate that would apply to federal contractors and health care workers.
He also has proposed that businesses with 100 or more employees mandate vaccines or weekly testing; that regulation by the Labor Department is on hold pending a review by a federal appeals court.
Under Biden’s plan, more than 2 million civilian workers were supposed to have gotten their final vaccine dose two weeks ago so as to be considered “fully immunized” by Monday’s deadline. The White House has not released estimates yet on how many of those employees did so.
Military personnel face their own deadlines depending upon their service branch.
Rob Thomasis among the artists who’ll help ring in the holidays this year on NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special.
One of the Matchbox Twenty frontman’s Rockefeller Center performances will be a duet with country star Brad Paisley, singing “Santa Don’t Come Here Anymore,” their duet from Rob’s new holiday album, Something About Christmas Time.
Other artists who’ll be making the show merry and bright include Norah Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Alessia Cara and country stars Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton.
Christmas in Rockefeller Center will also include the annual lighting of New York City’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which this year is a 79-foot-tall Norway Spruce from Maryland that weighs about 12 tons. It’ll be decked out with more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights and topped with a Swarovski star.
The two-hour special will air on NBC on Wednesday, December 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will stream live on Peacock. During the broadcast, viewers will have the opportunity to donate to Red Nose Day to help with homelessness, food insecurity and learning loss among children and families who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just in time for the holidays, Blackmore’s Night, the renaissance folk-rock band led by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and his wife, singer Candice Night, has released an expanded and remastered version of its 2006 Christmas album, Winter Carols.
Available as a two-CD set and digitally, the updated Winter Carols features the original album’s tracks, as well as a brand-new recording, a rendition of the 16th century tune “Coventry Carol”; the four songs from the group’s 2020 holiday EP, Here We Come A-Caroling; five live performances that previously were released as part of a 2013 Winter Carols reissue; and more.
Blackmore’s Night’s version of “Coventry Carol” also features added lyrics by Night and new musical arrangements by Blackmore.
Coinciding with the release of the expanded Winter Carols, an animated music video for the original Blackmore’s Night tune “Christmas Eve” has premiered at the band’s official YouTube channel.
The festive clip features computer-animated images of Santa Claus and his gift-filled, reindeer-drawn sleigh flying over a snow-covered town as children go ice skating and people walk around a brightly lit Christmas tree in the town square.
Here’s the full track list of the expanded Winter Carols album:
CD 1
“Coventry Carol”
“Deck the Halls”
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
“O Christmas Tree”
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful”
“I Saw Three Ships”
“Winter (Basse Dance)”
“Ding Dong Merrily on High”
“Ma-O-Tzur”
“Good King Wenceslas”
“Simple Gifts (Lord of the Dance)”
“We Three Kings”
“Wish You Were Here” (2021 Version)
“Emmanuel”
“Christmas Eve”
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
CD 2
“Crowning of the King”
“Here We Come A-Caroling”
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
“Silent Night”
“Christmas Eve” (2013 Version)
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Emmanuel” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“We Three Kings” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Ma-O-Tzur” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
“Good King Wenceslas” (Live from Minstrel Hall)
