Summer Walker revealed a star-studded lineup for her upcoming album, Still Over It, Tuesday on Instagram, including Cardi B, Pharrell Williams, SZA and Ciara.
The 20-track project, which will released Friday, also features Omarion, Lil Durk and Ari Lennox, plus JT from CityGirls, who teamed with Summer for the first single, “Ex for a Reason.”
Cardi narrates the first song, “Bitterness,” and the album closes with Ciara narrating “Ciara’s Prayer.” Still OverIt is the follow-up to Walker’s 2019 number one, RIAA-Platinum debut album, Over It.
This week, the 25-year-old singer, who is a native of the A-T-L, will host an album listening session at the Atlanta University Center, open exclusively to the women of Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University.
(KENOSHA, Wisc.) — A jury heard two wildly different scenarios of how two men were killed and another was wounded allegedly by teenager Kyle Rittenhouse during a chaotic 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
In opening statements presented Tuesday morning to the Kenosha County Circuit Court panel, a prosecutor said the evidence will show Rittenhouse, 18, was an “active shooter” whose reckless behavior led to the deadly incident. But a defense attorney countered that the same evidence indicates that it was “reasonable” for the teenager to use deadly force to defend himself from what he claims was a mob attacking him.
Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. He has also pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a firearm by an individual under the age of 18, and an infraction of violating a curfew that was imposed on the city at the time.
‘The only person who killed anyone was the defendant’
“Out of the hundreds of people that came to Kenosha during that week, the hundreds of people that were out on the streets that week, the evidence will show that the only person who killed anyone was the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse,” Thomas Binger, a Kenosha County assistant district attorney, told the jury multiple times during his presentation.
The chaos unfolded on Aug. 25, 2020, after protests erupted in Kenosha over a police officer shooting Jacob Black, a 29-year-old Black man, paralyzing him. Riots, vandalism and looting broke out, prompting an online call for armed “patriots” to come to the city to protect lives and property.
Rittenhouse, who was then 17, answered the call to help, his attorney, Mark Richards, told the jury. Richards used a series of photos and videos in his statement appearing to show Rittenhouse being kicked, hit in the head with a skateboard and having a gun aimed near his head when he shot and killed one man, Anthony Huber, 26, and severely wounded another, Gaige Grosskreutz, 27.
But Binger told the jurors that the fatal face-off started minutes earlier when Rittenhouse chased an unarmed protester, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and shot him four times, including a fatal shot to the back, in a used car lot Rittenhouse claimed to have been protecting.
Binger argued there was nothing reasonable about the behavior of Rittenhouse that night and suggested that the teenager from Antioch, Illinois, who was armed with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle with a 30-round clip, was the aggressor who sparked the deadly confrontation.
“Based on all of that evidence, I think you will agree with me that the defendant is guilty of all of these charges,” Binger told the 11 women and nine men of the jury.
‘Privileged under the law of self-defense’
Richards, who gave his statement after Binger, blamed Rosenbaum for escalating the violence that led to his death as well as the killing of Huber and the wounding of Grosskreutz, who is expected to testify at the high-profile trial.
“Mr. Rosenbaum is ultimately the individual who lit the fuse that night,” said Richards, who — during a hearing out of the presence of the jury — claimed Rosenbaum was discharged from a hospital that day after allegedly attempting suicide.
Richards said the evidence will show Rosenbaum had threatened to kill Rittenhouse and others who were attempting to protect property earlier in the evening. He claimed Rosenbaum, who was allegedly setting garbage cans on fire, seized on his promise when he found Rittenhouse isolated from his cohorts and that he attempted to “steal” the teenager’s gun and use it on him.
He said the case “isn’t a whodunit” and that Rittenhouse’s actions were “privileged under the law of self-defense.”
Richards displayed photos and video that he said show Rittenhouse using restraint from shooting people approaching him with their hands up, including Grosskreutz when he initially approached Rittenhouse after he had been knocked to the ground and kicked. He claimed Rittenhouse only shot Grosskreutz when the man aimed a gun near his head.
He then said Rittenhouse fatally shot Huber after Huber allegedly hit him in the head with a skateboard twice, the second time after the teen was on the ground and kicked in the face by an unidentified individual he referred to as the “jump-kick man.”
“The defendant believes that the amount of force which he used or threatened to use was necessary to prevent or terminate interference and that his belief was reasonable,” Richards told the jury. “You as jurors will end up looking at it from the standpoint of a 17-year old under the circumstances as they existed on Aug. 25.”
First prosecution witness
The prosecution called its first witness, Dominick Black, the boyfriend of Rittenhouse’s sister, who allegedly purchased the rifle for Rittenhouse and joined Rittenhouse in Kenosha on the night of the killings.
Under questioning from both Binger and Richards, Black said that during the protest he was positioned on the roof of the car dealership they were protecting. He claimed protesters were throwing rocks and at least one gas bomb at him, but he said neither he nor anyone on the roof with him retaliated.
“Did you feel that by these people throwing rocks at you or throwing a gas bomb at you that you were in danger?” Binger asked.
Black, 20, replied, “I mean pain, yes, but not danger. I knew it wasn’t going to kill me.”
“So, you felt like it wasn’t enough to use deadly force?” Binger asked.
“Correct,” answered Black, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under the age of 18, causing death, and is scheduled to go on trial in January.
Under cross-examination from Richards, Black said that during the protest he witnessed Rittenhouse providing first aid to injured protesters and confirmed that he told investigators “the only person I saw helping anyone was Kyle.”
The trial is scheduled to last a little over two weeks. Twenty jurors were chosen to hear the case, and 12 will be picked at the end of the evidence portion of the trial to decide Rittenhouse’s fate.
Ted Lasso Emmy winner Jason Sudeikis, The Mandalorian‘s Rosario Dawson, and Star Wars star Mark Hamill are taking part in an all-star virtual reading of the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life, benefitingThe Ed Asner Family Center (TEAFC), a charity dedicated to helping people with special needs and their families.
This year, Sudeikis will play Jimmy Stewart‘s role of George Bailey, while his real-life uncle, Cheers alum George Wendt, will play George’s forgetful Uncle Billy.
Asner, who died in August, participated in last year’s event, which featured SNL‘s Pete Davidson as George Bailey.
This year’s one-night-only event, hosted again by Tom Bergeron, also features Martin Sheen, Mandy Patinkin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Futurama‘s Phil Lamarr, Ron Funches, Ed Harris and more.
The event, in partnership with Turner Classic Movies and sponsored by MeTV, takes place Sunday, December 5, 2021, at 8 a.m. Eastern time. For a minimum donation of $25, you can stream the virtual table read performance, but commemorative artwork and will also be available at TEAFC.org/wonderful.
Matt Asner, son of Ed Asner & Co-Founder of The Ed Asner Family Center, said of the event, “My father’s passing has left an indescribable hole in my heart. For our annual fundraising gala this year, I want to honor my father’s legacy as both a legendary actor and a staunch advocate for people of all abilities.”
Jonathan Majors, who stars in Netflix’s critically-acclaimed Black cowboy drama The Harder They Fall, is taking his talents to Saturday Night Live.
NBC announced on Tuesday that they’ve tapped Majors, along with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu, for upcoming SNL hosting duties. Majors will host the series on November 13 with Taylor Swift as the musical guest. Meanwhile, Liu will host on November 20, with rapper Saweetie to perform. This will be the SNL hosting debut for both Majors and Liu.
In other news, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is joining Edgar Ramírez for the upcoming romantic drama Nobody’s Heart, Variety has learned. Directed by Isabel Coixet, the film is an adaption of William Boyd’s best-selling short story, Cork, which is based on the life of celebrated Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. It follows a new widow named Lily, who inherits her husband’s cork factory and begins an unexpected relationship with one of his workers. Nobody’s Heart is set to begin filming in Portugal in January.
Finally, ICYMI, Warner Media has added season two of the Peabody Award–winning drama David Makes Man to its streaming site, HBO Max. This comes after they’ve recently added a new lineup of Black content, including the sitcoms Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, In the House, The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin and The Parent ’Hood.
The Grammy-winning star will release a children’s picture book, The Curly Girl Blues, in January. Tori incorporated elements of her own childhood, themes and characters from her personal life and lessons she’s learned in her career into the story.
“As someone who always felt like I was different from everyone else growing up I wanted to encourage young kids to embrace their individuality and characteristics that make them unique,” Tori explains. “This book isn’t just about loving yourself, it’s also about celebrating the different cultures around us. My hope is to inspire the next generation and show how beautifully diverse this world is.”
The book’s description declares, “Everybody looks different, and we often get caught in the trap of comparing ourselves to the appearance of others instead of celebrating ourselves. Follow along as Emma comes down with a case of The Curly Girl Blues.”
The book is the first one released by Lumilly, a publishing house dedicated to releasing “meaningful” children’s picture books.
Tori will reprise her role as Meena in Sing 2, the sequel to the 2016 animated hit Sing, which opens December 22. Also in the cast: Halsey and U2‘s Bono.
Leona Lewis is re-releasing her 2013 holiday album Christmas, with Love, with two new tracks.
Retitled Christmas, with Love Always, the album will be released on November 19. In addition to holiday favorites like “Silent Night,” “White Christmas” and its best-known track, “One More Sleep,” the re-release includes a cover of the 1977 single “If I Can’t Have You,” written and recorded by the Bee Gees and made into a hit by Yvonne Elliman. Leona has reimagined the disco classic as a ballad with strings and piano.
In addition, the “Bleeding Love” singer has recorded a new song called “Kiss Me It’s Christmas” as a duet with Ne-Yo. That song is out now. It was co-written by Biff Stannard, who co-wrote all of the Spice Girls‘ hits.
“I’m so happy to share an early Christmas present with you all,” Leona writes on Instagram. “I really felt after the difficult last couple of years that I wanted to share some new songs, get out on the road, spread love and see and feel you all!”
She adds, “I know it’s been tough time and music brings us all together and that’s what I hope I can bring with this special repackaged release of my 2013 studio album…I’m so so excited to make new memories with you this year and as always appreciate all the love and support.”
Here’s the full track listing for Christmas, with Love Always:
“One More Sleep”
“Winter Wonderland”
“White Christmas”
“Your Hallelujah”
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
“Mr Right”
“O Holy Night”
“I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”
“Ave Maria”
“Silent Night”
“Kiss Me It’s Christmas” (feat. Ne-Yo)
“If I Can’t Have You”
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kristen Stewart announced Tuesday that she’s engaged to Dylan Meyer.
The Spencer actress revealed her good news on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, opening up about how the proposal went down.
“We’re marrying, we’re totally gonna do it,” Stewart, 31, said. “I wanted to be proposed to, so I think I very distinctly carved out what I wanted, and she nailed it. It was really cute, she did very well. We’re marrying, it’s happening.” The Twilight alum previously told host Howard Stern in November 2019 she wanted to pop the question to Meyer.
Stewart added that she wants to keep their big day “chill” and she doesn’t want to wear a traditional wedding dress. “I want to stay home. I want to be in L.A. so everyone can come. I want it to be pretty chill,” she said. “I don’t want anyone walking anyone down any aisles. We’re just gonna stand, do vows and f****** party after.”
Stewart said she plans to wear “the best pair of Levi’s ever” for the ceremony and “an old T-shirt that has a tuxedo printed on it,” which she hopes will make Meyer “laugh hysterically.”
While Stewart has no social media, Meyer has given fans a glimpse into their romance on her Instagram. Meyer first shared a snap of them kissing in October 2019 and shared birthday tributes for Stewart last year and this year.
Most recently, Meyer gushed over Stewart portraying Princess Diana on the big screen, writing, “awful proud of this hard-working princess.”
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak continue to tease us with music from their upcoming debut album as Silk Sonic.
The two have already dropped two singles — “Skate” and “Leave the Door Open” — and on Friday, we’re getting another one: “Smokin’ Out the Window.” On his Instagram, Bruno has posted a clip from what appears to be the song’s video, showing himself and Anderson driving in a car while eating pizza and, well, smokin’ out the window.
Unfortunately, there’s no audio on the clip, but we’re gonna go out on a limb and predict that the music heavily nods to the smooth sounds of ’70s soul.
The duo’s album An Evening with Silk Sonic arrives November 12.
Meanwhile, Anderson just announced his new record label, Apes***, a joint venture with Universal Music. In a hilarious video, he holds a fake press conference where he explains that he’s looking for people who can “play instruments and perform at the same time,” and ignores reporters who ask him where the food is, or if they can hold his Grammy.
Explaining the label name, .Paak notes that “APE” stands for “Anderson .Paak Empire.” As for the other word, he explains, “We on some other s***!”
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday that Democrats have reached a deal on a measure aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs as part of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” package.
This is one of the last major remaining hurdles for agreement on the reconciliation effort to pass the sweeping social and climate policy measure, and Schumer said that Arizona Democratic Sen. Sinema, a holdout on prescription drugs, supports this new plan.
The deal includes: Direct government negotiation on the price of insulin and a smaller universe of drugs that are no longer protected from competition; a cap on out of pocket prescription drug expenses for seniors at $2,000 annually; if the cost of a drug rises faster than inflation, that manufacturer would pay a rebate penalty to Medicare (this penalty would apply to all drugs both in Medicare and in commercial insurance.
“We’ve heard this from people across the country who have serious illnesses and can’t afford their medicine,” Schumer said. “What a painstaking position to be in, it’s horrible. Today we’ve taken a massive step forward in helping to alleviate that problem. “
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(GLASGOW, Scotland) — President Joe Biden’s spent his last hours on his overseas trip with a news conference to tout U.S. climate policies and close out what he called “significant progress” made at the COP26 summit — but he was also forced to respond to Democratic infighting over his climate change policies at home.
“Mister President, you’re touting on this visit the $1.7 trillion plan that includes climate but your party is still not united behind it,” a reporter said, raising progressives battling with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., over the social spending package Democrats seek to pass through reconciliation — which would need every Democratic Senate vote. “Today, he said he never signed off on the framework. So, do you have a specific commitment from Senator Manchin to support your Build Back Better bill — yes or no — and how do you respond to those criticisms?”
“Number one, I’m not going to talk about the specifics of my conversations,” Biden replied. “He will vote for — in this proposal what he has anticipated and that is looking at the fine print and the detail of what comes out of the house in terms of the actual legislative initiative. I believe that Joe will be there.”
Although there’s no definite sign a vote on the already Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will pass the House soon, progressives say they trust Biden to deliver 51 Senate votes he promised on the larger social spending bill, and the president offered an optimistic outlook, despite Manchin’s new concerns that it would cost a lot more than claimed.
“Seventeen Nobel laureates and economists said it’s going to lower inflation and raise wages and increase competition and create two million jobs in a year, et cetera, and so I think that Joe is looking for the precise detail to make sure nothing got slipped in — in terms of how the legislation got written that is different than he acknowledged he would agree to, but I think we’ll get this done,” Biden said.
He took the same tone when asked about election day in Virginia — where the race for governor is being considered a litmus test for former President Donald Trump’s influence on voters while Democrats’ agenda is stalled.
Asked if a Democratic loss could signal real losses for the party in the midterms, Biden said, “We’re going to win.”
“The race is very close. It’s about who shows up, who turns out, and grant it, I did win by a large margin, but the point of the matter is that I think, this is going to be what we all knew from the beginning. This is going to be a tight race,” he said, acknowledging results may be slow because of the stiff competition. “I think we’re going to win New Jersey as well.”
“The off-year is always unpredictable, especially when we don’t have a general election going on at the same time,” he added. “But having said that, I don’t believe, and I’ve not seen any evidence that whether or not I am doing well or poorly, whether or not I’ve got my agenda passed or not is going to have any real impact on winning or losing. Even if we had passed my agenda, I wouldn’t claim we won because Biden’s agenda passed,” Biden said.
In brief remarks ahead of taking questions, Biden touted the U.S. as leading the way with initiatives such as reducing methane emissions and deforestation.
He said investing in a clean energy future will take a whole society effort and is both an economic and “moral imperative.”
Earlier in the day, the president emphasized innovation of new technologies, and the adoption of existing ones, to galvanize the fight against climate change. He talked about deforestation and how the U.S. will meet carbon emission goals after the White House announced a new plan for methane reduction which he said more than 100 countries have signed, too.
