Saint Motel‘s new album The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is coming to life in a very unique way.
The band will perform the record in its entirety during a streaming concert filmed in Macedonia. They’ll be accompanied by the country’s acclaimed Fames Orchestra and film composer Duke Bojadziev, who had created “film score transitions” for in between the songs on The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
“What an incredible way to perform The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in the most thematically true way possible,” says Saint Motel frontman A/J Jackson. “Live with one of the best orchestras in the world and showcasing not only all the songs but the incredible film score transitions. It’s something truly special.”
The concert will premiere August 18 via the streaming platform Dreamstage. Visit Dreamstage.live for ticket info.
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in June. It combines three different EPs, which spawned the singles “Van Horn,” “Preach” and “It’s All Happening.”
Reba McEntire’s 2001 hit, “I’m a Survivor,” shares a message of resilience, with lyrics describing “a single mom who works too hard / Who loves her kids and never stops / With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter / I’m a survivor.”
Those lyrics have become the soundtrack to a hilarious TikTok challenge over the past few days, with app users setting the song over video clips of all the everyday inconveniences and mundane tasks that make them “a survivor.”
On her TikTok, the singer shared a short video of herself struggling through the heat to feed her two donkeys, only to find that they don’t appreciate her efforts. At the end, she turns to the camera to sing the title phrase, “I’m a survivor,” along with her song.
“When it’s time to feed your donkeys and they’re not the least bit impressed,” Reba captioned her post, which has amassed more than 12 million views in the days since she posted it.
“I’m a Survivor” was a top-five country hit for Reba upon its release, and it also became the theme song for Reba, the singer’s own sitcom, which aired on The WB in the mid-2000s.
Sure, getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is nice, but now New Jersey’s own Jon Bon Jovi is getting a real honor: a rest stop named after him on the Garden State Parkway.
The neighboring New Jersey Turnpike has rest stops named after historical New Jerseyites, like Thomas Edison, but the Parkway is going for star power, reports NorthJersey.com. The rest stop formerly known as — no joke — Cheesequake will now be known as the Jon Bon Jovi Service Area.
Other famed New Jerseyites who are getting the rest stop treatment include Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, Toni Morrison, James Gandolfini, salsa legend Celia Cruz and author Judy Blume. It’s all part of a campaign by the New Jersey Hall of Fame, which is installing displays about each rest stop’s famous namesake.
But wait, you ask — where’s the Bruce Springsteen Service Area?
“Bruce Springsteen respectfully declined to have a service area named after him,” a New Jersey Hall of Fame spokeswoman told NorthJersey.com. “It should be noted, though, that Bruce has been very supportive of the New Jersey Hall of Fame over the years, and is very much a part of the fabric of the Hall.”
Wilmer Valderrama has lent his voice to projects including the hit kid’s show Handy Manny, and Disney/Pixar’s Onward, among others. But none are as personal to him as his latest podcast project.
The That 70s Show veteran explained to Variety that his new series, Essential Voices, is dedicated to the essential workers and first responders who helped his father — and millions of others — battle through COVID-19.
Valderrama’s father contracted the disease and suffered two minor heart attacks in the past year, the actor said, explaining of those who helped, “They showed up and helped my dad be with us for many more years.”
The NCIS star added, “I’m so thankful, and I want to make sure their voices are heard. That’s my small contribution back for what they’ve done for my family.”
His father is still recovering from the disease, “working through his respiratory stuff, and he’s still trying to get his stamina back,” Wilmer said. “He’s working out every day. I always joke with him that he reminds me of Stella because he’s trying to get his groove back.”
The Essential Voices podcast also hails those in the community who fought food insecurity throughout the pandemic, and others who are still doing what they can to save lives and raise spirits.
(NEW YORK) — As the end of summer approaches, teachers are already preparing for the school year ahead, which is happening again this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help teachers, select retailers are offering special back-to-school deals and discounts. Here are some of the retailers offering special deals now for teachers.
Target
Target is offering teachers a one-time, 15% discount on select classroom supplies and essentials now through July 31. Teachers need to sign up for Target Circle and verify their teacher status to be eligible.
All K-12 teachers, homeschool teachers, teachers working at daycare centers and early childhood learning centers, university or college professors and vocational/trade/technical school teachers are eligible, according to Target.
Staples
At Staples stores across the country, teachers and school administrators can get 20% off select purchases now through Sept. 30.
Parents can also help support teachers through Staples’ Classroom Rewards program, which gives a percentage of their qualifying purchase made at a Staples store back to an enrolled teacher or school administrator of their choice, according to the company.
To start getting discounts, parents, teachers and school administrators must download the Staples Connect app and enroll in Classroom Rewards.
Abt Electronics
Teachers who purchase $500 worth of Abt Electronics supplies are eligible for a $50 discount. This offer applies to teachers, teachers aides, teaching assistants, educational assistants, lifetime teaching credential holders, professors, speech pathologists and school administrators.
To use the discount, teachers must verify that they are eligible when they check out. Then, they will receive a promotion code to access their discount.
Meijer
Teachers can now get 15% off back-to-school supplies with a coupon at Meijer. The coupon covers 1,500 items that teachers can use in the classroom.
Michaels
Teachers are eligible year-round for a 15% discount at Michaels after verifying their profession and creating a Michaels account. The discount will apply if they provide their phone number or email at checkout online or in-person.
JOANN
By signing up for the Teacher Rewards Digital Discount Card, teachers can receive a 15% year-round discount at JOANN. To register for the card, teachers must show a valid educator identification.
Barnes & Noble
Teachers will receive 20% off qualifying book purchases at Barnes & Noble if they sign up to become a B&N Educator. The sign-up process, while free, must be done in-person at a Barnes & Noble location.
Dollar General
Dollar General is offering teachers a 30% discount on back-to-school supplies until Sept. 6. Teachers can use the discount after signing up for a Dollar General account, completing a teacher verification process and waiting 24 to 48 hours.
The discount applies to the purchase of pens, pencils, crayons, paper, notebooks, scissors, binders, folders glue, rulers, backpacks, lunch boxes and more.
Office Depot
Through Sept. 30, teachers who are Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards members are eligible for a coupon that allows them to earn 20% back in rewards when completing in-store purchases.
Teachers can also receive a 40% discount for school supplies such as classroom posters, instructional materials and name tags when completing an in-store purchase. For the discount to apply, teachers must show a valid teacher ID at checkout.
(ATLANTA) — Spelman College announced it will use federal funding to clear outstanding tuition balances for the past academic year of to address the financial hardships of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The historically Black college based in Atlanta, Georgia, will also offer a one-time 14% discount on tuition for the 2021-2022 academic school year and rollback mandatory fees to the 2017-2018 rate.
“This reset to the lower tuition rates of four years ago will have a long-term impact on affordability,” said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman, in a statement Tuesday.
The Spelman College financial relief comes after Clark Atlanta University, a neighboring HBCU in Atlanta, announced it would cancel outstanding tuition balances for the spring 2020 and summer 2021 semesters.
“We understand these past two academic years have been emotionally and financially difficult on students and their families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why we will continue to do all we can to support their efforts to complete their CAU education,” Dr. George T. French, President of Clark Atlanta University, said in a statement last Friday.
For Ta’Lar Scott, a 21-year-old junior at Clark Atlanta University, having her $500 tuition balance canceled was the fresh start she needed to re-enroll to finish her undergraduate degree in social work after taking a semester off.
Like thousands of HBCU students, Scott has relied on federal grants and student loans to pay for her college education. With aspirations of becoming a teacher and now as an expectant mother, paying for school expenses in addition to re-enrollment was so daunting she considered not attending the fall semester.
“I was going to take this semester off and it was really because I knew I had a balance,” Scott told ABC News. “The university clearing my balance up kind of pushed me and let me know that I can do this. I’ll be fine. Regardless, I’ll have to learn how to adjust, which I’ve been doing all my life.”
HBCUs received approximately $2.6 billion through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, a $40 billion funding allocation set aside for higher education as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College are the latest of over 20 HBCUs using federal funding to provide financial relief and emergency funds for students in recent months. South Carolina State University, Delaware State University and Wilberforce University used federal COVID relief dollars to cancel student loan debt for eligible students.
ABC News’ Jianna Cousin contributed to this report.
(GREEN BAY, Wisc.) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers considered retiring amid a tumultuous offseason, he told reporters gathered at the team’s training camp Wednesday.
In his second day back with the team, Rodgers admitted he’s still not sure what, if anything, will change about the organization with whom his relationship had grown challenging.
Still, Rodgers is beginning preparations for his 17th NFL season, all of which have come with the Packers.
“I just want to be involved in conversations that affect my ability to do my job,” Rodgers explained. That, before detailing some of the examples of veteran players the team has released or failed to re-sign at different points in his career.
Asked whether he has any assurance his guidance will be followed more closely now, Rodgers admitted he couldn’t be certain.
“I wanted to help to organization, maybe learn from some of the mistakes in the past,” he said.
Rodgers said he voiced that desire in February, even offering to help recruit players to Green Bay. That conversation, he said, changed in March, after the team declined to commit to him as their quarterback beyond the 2021 season. In response, Rodgers says, he told the team “if you want to make a change and move forward, then go ahead and do it.”
And then, in April, when ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke news that Rodgers had told some people within the organization that he did not want to return, negotiations began. He says the team initially offered more money, which was not what he was looking for.
Earlier this week, the two sides agreed to void the final year of Rodgers’ current contract, and discuss his future with the team after 2021.
The tension between player and organization increased last year, when the Packers selected quarterback Jordan Love with their first-round draft pick.
Still, Rodgers was quick to point out that he is “not a victim here.”
“I made a ton of money here, and I’ve been really fortunate to play a long time and to play here.”
“At the same time,” he said, “I’m still competitive and I still feel like I can play, I proved it last year.”
Rodgers won the third NFL MVP Award of his career in 2020.
While he didn’t rule out a return to the Packers, he also said he was not promised the ability to dictate where he would play in 2022.
Will Smith is channeling Richard Williams, the father tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in the first trailer for King Richard.
Executive-produced by the Williams sisters, the film is based on real-life story of their father Richard, a man undeterred in “raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time.” The feature follows Richard’s journey to take Venus and Serena “from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons.” King Richard also stars Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena Williams, as well as Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn and Dylan McDermott. The film hits theaters and HBO Max on November 19.
In other news, a teaser for Lee Daniels‘ upcoming FOX drama, Our Kind of People, has been released. The promo features Yaya DaCosta as Angela Vaughn, a single mother who “risks it all” by moving her family to Martha’s Vineyard in hopes of taking her natural hair-care line to the next level. As previously reported, the series, also starring Morris Chestnut, LeToya Luckett and Lance Gross, is based onLawrence Otis Graham’s critically acclaimed book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class. Our Kind of People premieres on Tuesday, September 21, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
Finally, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Luke James and Erica Ash are among the stars added to Shudder’s upcoming horror anthology series Horror Noire, Deadline has learned. The anthology, which is said to showcase horror stories from Black directors and screenwriters, will feature six stories presented as a two-hour film. Those stories include Daddy,Bride Before You, Brand of Evil, The Lake, Sundown, and Fugue State.Horror Noire premieres in October on Shudder.
Luke Bryan’s not shying away from the tougher parts of his past in his upcoming new docu-series, Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary.
He’ll offer candid reflections on some of his family’s darkest days, when tragedy struck the Bryan household in unfathomable ways. In 1996, Luke lost his older brother, Chris, in a car accident. Then, in 2007, his older sister, Kelly, died at home of still-unknown natural causes.
Finally, in 2014, Kelly’s husband, Lee, died of a heart attack, leaving the couple’s three children parentless. Luke and his wife Caroline ultimately stepped in to help raise the kids, whose ages at the time ranged from 12 to 20.
Through sharing this side of his story, Luke hopes to provide some hope for viewers who might be going through similar tumult.
“When [people] walk up to me on the street and they’re like, ‘Hey, man, you really inspire us,’ that’s what it’s all about to me,” the singer tells Entertainment Tonight. “…I always believe there’s a lot of people out there going through similar scenarios as me. If we can inspire them and help them dust themselves off, that’s what this thing is really about.”
Luke adds that he hopes My Dirt Road Diary will paint a clear picture of the good and not-so-good times he’s experienced along the way to success.
“It’s been quite the story and quite the ride,” Luke says. “…You gotta celebrate the ups, and you gotta really try to work together to get through the downsides.”
All five episodes of Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary will stream for free on August 6 on IMDb TV, which is Amazon’s free streaming service.
Now that Katy Perry and Carrie Underwood are doing residencies at Las Vegas’ new Resorts World property, and Celine Dion is staging her comeback residency there, could Adele be far behind?
British tabloid The Sun says Adele is considering doing a residency at the same theater in Resorts World where Celine, Katy, Carrie and Luke Bryan will all be performing in the coming months. Said residency, a Vegas source told The Sun, would earn the U.K. singer nearly $140,000 a night.
Adele, who hasn’t performed live since 2017, has said in the past that she prefers to perform for smaller crowds, and that instead of traveling around the world, she’d like to stay in one place because of her eight-year-old son Angelo.
The superstar is said to be ready to release new music and, according to The Sun, the rumor is that she plans to launch her comeback with a Vogue feature. The tabloid points to the fact that both Adele and Vogue‘s editor, Edward Enniful, were both in New York City last week.
Of course, nobody in Adele’s camp has confirmed any of these rumors, so stay tuned.
