The final trailer for Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, has just dropped, and it’s clear the accolades the actress has already garnered are well deserved.
Spencer takes place in the 1990s over a crucial Christmas holiday during which Diana plotted her divorce from Prince Charlesand a life away from the British royal family. As in the teaser, a choral version of Lou Reed‘s “Perfect Day” haunts the new footage of the young princess crushed between the pressures of her title, her crumbling marriage, the paparazzi, and a holiday weekend with the King and Queen.
“Three days,” she says as she steels herself. “That’s it.”
An aide warns her, “They know everything,” as her royal relatives shoot her icy glares from across a finely appointed dinner table.
“They don’t,” Diana replies.
As the pressure mounts in the trailer, Diana’s young son, Prince William, asks her, “Mummy, what’s happened to make you so sad?”
“You have to be able to do things you hate,” Diana’s advised. “There has to be two of you. There’s the real one, and the they take pictures of.”
She’s told it’s for, “the good of the country.”
“The country?” Diana protests, before slapping a sofa in frustration.
“Fight them,” a friend tells her. “You’re your own weapon.”
Diana asks rhetorically of the royals, “Will they kill me, you think?”
Princess Diana was killed August 31, 1997 in a car crash in Paris that was caused in part by a high-speed pursuit by paparazzi. Her partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, were also killed. Paul was later found to have been driving drunk. A bodyguard survived the crash.
Spencer debuts November 5 from Pablo Larrain, who previously called the shots on Natalie Portman‘s Oscar-nominated 2016 Jacqueline Kennedy biopic, Jackie.
Rihanna‘s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 on Wednesday was more spectacular than ever, featuring performances by Nas, Daddy Yankee, BIA, Jazmine Sullivan, Ricky Martin, Normani, and Jade Novah.
Joined by a group of models, RiRi made a dynamic appearance, seductively lying on a couch to the beat of Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson‘s “What’s It Gonna Be? and Busta’s “Break Ya Neck,” according to Billboard.
“It’s not easy in a corset!” the nine-time Grammy winner told Entertainment Tonight. “I had to make it work!” she added with a laugh. “But it’s my way of just being part of my show. I won’t do it every single time, but I like to be in there a little bit.”
Now in its third year, the Savage X Fenty show has become a high priority for many stars.
“They’re calling us now, and it feels so great that it has that credibility and that people value the stage,” Rihanna shared. “People even pull out from other shows to be a part of it. If we keep pushing ourselves and challenging our show year after year, I feel like we could really do wonders.”
Recorded at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles, Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 will stream on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning Friday, September 24.
Fifteen years after Enchanted sang its way into theaters, fans will finally see the story continue in Disenchanted, and star James Marsden is teasing what to expect when the sequel premieres next year.
The 48-year-old actor, who plays Prince Edward, told Entertainment Tonight the movie will acknowledge the length of time that passed since everyone supposedly went off on their happily ever after.
“I have never felt older,” he laughed. “Fifteen years is not the sort of time frame you want to wait for the sequel of your movie where you play a Disney prince [to come out]. You go back in and you just got a belly and three chins.”
“I think we made something special,” Marsden amended. “I hope people will dig it.”
Because 15 years had passed since the first and second movies, Marsden was at first skeptical that the sequel was being made.
“They have been talking about making it for years…I got my hopes up many times before,” the actor said. “And recently I was like, ‘Sure, sure, they’re going to make it.’ And last year they said, ‘We are actually doing this, and they sent songs, and I am like, ‘OK, this is actually real.'”
“Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz did all of the music again, and Amy Adams [is] playing her great role as Princess Giselle,” Marsden raved. “It was a lot of fun getting back and working with Idina [Menzel] and getting the pipes back to working properly and the singing stuff.”
Disenchanted, also starring Patrick Dempsey and Maya Rudolph, will waltz onto Disney+ sometime in 2022.
(EUROPE) — Lawmakers in Europe on Thursday unveiled a proposal to force smartphone makers to adopt a universal, brand-agnostic charging cable in an effort to reduce electronic waste.
The plans call for a USB-C cable to become the universal standard for all smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. While years of collaborating with the industry on a voluntary approach have brought the number of mobile charger types from 30 to 3 within the last decade, according to a statement from the European Commission, the new legislation would establish a single common charging solution.
Apple, with its proprietary Lightning cables, remains one of the major holdouts to have a unique charger for its devices — though some of its more recent devices do include USB-C charging. The company has previously argued that the proposal would impede innovation.
“Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices,” Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, said in a statement. “With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that.”
“With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics — an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste,” Breton added.
Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s executive vice president for the digital age, added that consumers have been “frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers.”
“We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger,” Vestager said in a statement Thursday. “This is an important win for our consumers and environment and in line with our green and digital ambitions.”
Some 420 million mobile phones and other portable electronic devices were sold in the European Union in 2020, the lawmakers said, and consumers on average own about three mobile chargers but only use two on a regular basis. The group estimates disposed of and unused chargers pile up to some 11,000 metric tons of waste each year.
The Commission also seeks to unbundle the sale of chargers from the sale of electronic devices in order to reduce the environmental footprint associated with the production and disposal of chargers. It also is asking producers to provide clearer information about charging performance, including how much power is required by a device for charging.
The lawmakers estimate that all together the new measures will help consumers in Europe limit the number of new chargers purchased and save nearly $294 million (€250 million) per year on unnecessary charger purchases.
Apple told ABC News that it is continuing to work with the European Commission to understand the full details of the proposal, but argued that the legislation could disrupt a thriving ecosystem, inconvenience users and actually create electronic waste.
“Apple stands for innovation and deeply cares about the customer experience. Some of the most innovative thinking at Apple goes toward building products with recycled and renewable materials,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “We share the European Commission’s commitment to protecting the environment and are already carbon neutral for all of our corporate emissions worldwide, and by 2030 every single Apple device and its usage will be carbon neutral.”
“We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world,” the statement added. “We look forward to continued engagement with stakeholders to help find a solution that protects consumer interest, as well as the industry’s ability to innovate and bring exciting new technology to users.”
The U.S.-headquartered company also noted that the European Commission previously sought to mandate that all smartphones only use USB Micro-B connectors, which would have restricted the advancement to Lightning and USB Type-C chargers.
The proposal will next need to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, and the lawmakers have proposed a transition period of two years — which Apple has called concerningly short — from the date of adoption to give the industry time to adapt.
One sign that Adele’s relationship with sports agent Rich Paul isn’t just a passing phase is the fact that the two recently went Instagram official. But according to a source, their romance is much deeper than that.
A source close to Adele tells E! News, “Adele is very much in love with Rich and their relationship has become more serious in the last few months. They have both met each other’s kids, but have been keeping it low-key around them.”
Adele shares son Angelo with her ex-husband Simon Konecki. According to The New Yorker, Paul, who’s never been married, has three children.
“They both stay at each other’s places in L.A., and are pretty much inseparable,” adds the source, noting that Adele has been enjoying hanging out with Rich, who reps LeBron James, and his friends.
“She feels really comfortable around him and is in a good headspace right now,” the insider continues. “She is all about having fun and being in good company and Rich definitely provides that.”
The source also claims that Adele, who hosted SNL last October, is planning to release new songs later this year, hopefully “in December before the holidays.”
As for performing live, the insider claims, “She would love to…go back on tour, but is being cautious of COVID and doesn’t have concrete plans yet.”
Sony Music Entertainment/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
In July, the popular Bruce Springsteen fan site Backstreets.com reported that an archival film focusing on the performances that The Boss and his E Street Band gave at the historic 1979 “No Nukes” concerts would be coming out later this year. Now official details about the release have been announced.
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts will be released digitally on November 16 and on DVD, Blu-ray and audio formats on November 19.
The film and companion audio feature Springsteen and the E Street Band playing 13 songs at two of the MUSE benefit concerts, aka the “No Nukes” concerts, a star-studded series of shows that took place in September 1979 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ten of the performances are previously unreleased.
The movie was edited by longtime Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny using the original 16-millimeter film, and the audio was remixed by lauded engineer Bob Clearmountain.
Springsteen’s set list included renditions of two songs from his then-upcoming album The River — the title track and “Sherry Darling” — as well as covers of Buddy Holly‘s “Rave On” and Maurice Williams‘ “Stay,” the latter of which featured guest appearances from Jackson Browne and Tom Petty.
“A few years ago, I started re-examining the filmed archives for Bruce and the Band’s appearances at the No Nukes concerts of 1979,” says Zimny in a statement. “I quickly realized that these were the best performances and best filming from the Band’s legendary Seventies, and dedicated myself to bringing out the full potential of the footage.”
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts, which you can pre-order now, is available as a two-CD/DVD or two-CD/Blu-Ray set, a two-LP vinyl package, and on digital audio and video formats.
Here’s the full track list:
“Prove It All Night”
“Badlands”
“The Promised Land”
“The River”
“Sherry Darling”
“Thunder Road”
“Jungleland”
“Rosalita Come Out Tonight”
“Born to Run”
“Stay”
“Detroit Medley”
“Quarter to Three”
“Rave On”
(WASHINGTON) — Democratic House and Senate leaders on Thursday announced they and the White House have reached agreement on a “framework” that will pay for most, if not all, of the massive $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill — a move meant to mitigate concerns from moderate and centrist Democrats opposed to the hefty price tag.
But the leaders provided very little details on the framework a day after President Joe Biden met with Democratic leaders, moderates and progressives at the White House in an effort to save his agenda from Democratic infighting.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also did not provide a clear outline about when the reconciliation bill will be ready for a vote.
She also did not commit to putting the bipartisan infrastructure bill on the floor for a vote next Monday, which she had promised moderates would happen.
Pelosi was joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at her weekly press conference, as Democrats also face a looming possible government shutdown on Oct. 1 and still need to deal with the debt ceiling, which Republicans will not support.
“The White House, the House and the Senate have reached agreement on a framework that will pay for any final negotiated agreement. So, the revenue side of this, we have an agreement on,” Schumer told reporters.
“We know that we can cover the provisions the president has put forward,” Pelosi added. “It’s all good.”
This announcement is meant to provide some relief to those moderate, centrist Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who do not support that $3.5 trillion number.
But Pelosi and Schumer provided very little on actual details. As of right now, leaders are no closer to having a reconciliation bill — which means the fate of the bipartisan infrastructure bill hangs in the balance.
“We came to terms as to a framework of an array of agreements that we have, depending on what the need is. Now at the same time, we’re finalizing on the outlay side, so if we need more, we need less — that will impact the choices we make there,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi also did not commit to putting the bipartisan infrastructure bill that has already passed in the Senate on the floor next week.
“We take it one day at time,” Pelosi told reporters. “I am confident that we will pass both bills.”
Pelosi also did not make clear if $3.5 trillion will remain the topline, or if that figure could change and drop lower.
“This is not about price tag. This is about what is in the bill,” Pelosi said.
Following the press conference, reporters caught up with Pelosi and pressed for more details on the framework.
When reporters suggested they had too few details, Pelosi responded, “well that’s your problem, not mine.”
Following the press conference, many senators close to the negotiation table say they are in the dark about the new framework agreement.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders said he has “no idea” what the agreement is. He told reporters he hopes to be briefed on it soon “if there is a framework.”
“We’ve been through this a million times. There are many many approaches as to how you can raise money in a fair and progressive way and raise at least 3.5 trillion dollars,” Sanders said. “If that’s what the menu is there is nothing then nothing particularly new I think.”
Sen. Mark Warner, a moderate Democrat on the Budget committee who has been intimately involved in negotiations with the president on the reconciliation plan told reporters he has not the “foggiest idea” what is in the framework.
Warner told reporters he was “as interested in getting those details as you are.”
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he was in meetings over the framework, but declined to give many details about what was discussed or decided upon.
“It went right to the heart of what we need in terms of tax fairness in America and that’s where we are this morning,” Wyden said while dodging questions about a topline or any agreed to “payfors.”
Senators said they expected to receive more information from leadership Thursday on what the framework is.
Democratic leaders also have to contend with a potential shutdown on Oct. 1, but Pelosi insisted a shutdown would be avoided.
Pelosi told reporters Republicans could cave on raising the debt ceiling because “public sentiment is everything.”
But she indicated that both chambers will do everything they can to keep the government open via a so-called “continuing resolution” that maintains current funding levels, which may mean they will have to deal with the debt ceiling at a later time.
“We will keep the government open by September 30 … and continue the conversation about the debt ceiling. Whatever it is, we will have a CR that passes both houses by September 30,” Pelosi said.
After promising to announce his tour, Shawn Mendes has done just that.
Shawn’s Wonder: The World Tour will get underway in the U.K. and Europe in March of 2022, with opening act King Princess. The tour arrives in North America on June 27, 2022 with opening act Dermot Kennedy through an August date in Brooklyn, NY, and then Tate McRae takes over on the second leg, which starts September 7 in Arizona.
The tour is currently set to conclude October 26, 2022 in Newark, NJ. It’s Shawn’s first trek since the release of his most recent album, Wonder.
The public onsale date for the North American tour starts October 7 at 10 a.m. local time, though there are American Express and Fan presales prior to that. All the details and tour dates are available at WondertheTour.com.
American Express card members will be able to access tickets in a special front-of-stage pit, and also purchase tickets that include limited edition merchandise, while supplies last.
More tour dates for other regions will be announced soon.
Fugees kicked off their reunion tour Wednesday night with a free concert in New York City for fans who earned tickets for their humanitarian work.
The show at Pier 17 in Manhattan was part of the Global Citizen Live global series of concerts, which will continue with numerous stars performing around the world on Saturday, September 25. Fans received tickets through the Global Citizen website by taking action to end the hunger crisis and protect the planet
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark 1996 album, The Score. Accompanied by a live band, the trio kicked off Wednesday’s concert with the title song of the album, according to Billboard. The performance also featured “Ready or Not,” “Zealots,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Fu-Gee-La.”
Hill discussed the group’s breakup following the release of The Score and explained that money and success caused the dissension. Then she asked the crowd to “respect the miracle” of them finally coming back together.
Wyclef, who was born in Haiti, addressed the migrant crisis in his country. He criticized President Biden for the way Haitian migrants are being treated.
The Fugees reunion tour will continue November 2 in Chicago and will make stops in Oakland, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, Newark, and Washington, D.C. The group will then travel abroad to Paris, London, Nigeria and Ghana.
The Score has sold over 12 million copies and earned two Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, for “Killing Me Softly.”
Tickets for the Fugees tour go on sale Friday, September 24 at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation.com.
The Pretty Reckless‘ latest number-one Billboard hit features some hard-rocking friends.
“Only Love Can Save Me Now,” the current single from Taylor Momsen and company, has hit the top of Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The song features Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron, who now have their first number-one singles as “individually billed solo artists.”
Thayil and Cameron previously notched six number-one Mainstream Rock Airplay hits as members of Soundgarden. Fittingly, “Only Love Can Save Me Now” is The Pretty Reckless’ seventh leader on that particular chart, breaking a tie with one of Momsen’s musical heroes.
“Only Love Can Save Me Now” is featured on the new Pretty Reckless album Death by Rock and Roll, which dropped in February. Both of the record’s previous two singles, the title track and the Tom Morello-featuring “And So It Went,” also hit number one on Mainstream Rock Airplay.
