Jimmie Allen was well into Dancing with the Stars rehearsals before the cast was revealed. In a new post on social media, he shows off the elaborate disguise they used to hide his face prior to the cast announcment, leading some to believe he was a professional athlete instead of a singer.
“Back when people thought I was a football player walking into rehearsal. Haha Before the cast reveal of [Dancing with the Stars] we had to wear these face shields. I about tripped and fell like 8 times.”
Jimmie has already reached out for advice to several of his famous friends who have competed on DWTS.
“I talked to Chuck Wicks, he did it,” Jimmie shared on Good Morning America. “Lauren Alaina. I actually talked to AJ [McLean]. Rashad Jennings, Bobby Bones. I know Nelly did it last season. They said it’s gonna be difficult, but it’s fun, and they’re not lying. These rehearsals … I never ballroom danced a day in my life. It’s rough.”
Jimmie joins an all-star cast that includes JoJo Siwa, Christine Chiu, Sunisa Lee, Brian Austin Green, Amanda Kloots, Martin Kove, Olivia Jade and more.
Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on Monday, September 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
Nicki Minaj and husband Kenneth Petty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Marc Jacob
Nicki Minaj‘s husband, Kenneth Petty, faces up to ten years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender in California.
Petty, who married the “Anaconda” rapper in 2019, pleaded guilty on Thursday, according to court records obtained by ABC News. Sentencing has been scheduled for January 24, 2022. Petty faces a maximum ten-year prison sentence and a fine of $250,000 or more, though the law allows for a minimum sentence of five years of supervised release for the violation.
As her husband faces more legal drama, the five-time MTV Video Music Award winner announced Thursday she will not appears at the VMAs on Sunday in New York City. “I just pulled out. I’ll explain why another day,” Minaj tweeted in response to a fan asking if she would be performing on Sunday. “Next year we there baby.”
Petty was arrested in March 2020 after being indicted for failure to register as a sex offender. He pleaded not guilty and posted $100,000 bail. The 43-year-old, who has homes in New York City and Los Angeles, was registered as sex offender in New York, but not in California. He is required to register as a sex offender in both states after being convicted for the first-degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1995, for which he served a four-year prison sentence.
As previously reported, Petty’s alleged rape victim, Jennifer Hough, recently filed a lawsuit against him and Minaj in which she accused the pair of attempting to intimidate her into recanting her rape accusation. She asserts in the lawsuit that Petty “intimidated” and “harassed” her not to talk about the incident, and says that Nicki “threatened” her and wanted her to disavow her accusations against Petty, according to Billboard.
Hough alleges that Nicki falsely claims that she wrote a letter recanting her statement accusing Petty of rape, and that on two different occasions, Minaj and Petty offered her $500,000, and $20,000 to recant her statement.
I just pulled out. I’ll explain why another day. But I love those guys at MTV. thank you Bruce. I love you so much. Next year we there baby. https://t.co/QkueA9fcOu
(NEW YORK) — With the U.S. military and diplomatic withdrawal now complete after 20 years in Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken over the country, including the Kabul airport, the site of an often-desperate evacuation effort in past weeks.
But even as the last American troops were flown out to meet President Joe Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline, other Americans who wanted to flee the country were left behind. The Biden administration is now focused on a “diplomatic mission” to help them leave but some hoping to evacuate are still stuck in the country. Meanwhile, the Taliban has announced its new “caretaker” government which includes men with U.S. bounties on their heads — and no women.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Sep 10, 12:46 pm
2nd Qatari flight lands in Doha with foreigners on board
A second Qatar Airways flight from Kabul landed in Doha at 7:29 p.m. local time, according to flight data, with an unknown number of foreign nationals on board.
The flight number for the Boeing 777 — QR7277 — was the same as Thursday’s, the first flight out of Kabul since all U.S. personnel withdrew.
Sep 10, 12:23 pm
Kinzinger blasts US evacuation mission as ‘strategic failure’
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., criticized the Biden administration’s handling of evacuations from Kabul as a “strategic failure” on ABC’s “The View” on Friday and expressed deep concern for what will happen in the coming weeks as the Taliban exercises complete control of the country.
“Afghanistan has a constitution. That constitution and that government was overthrown by force by a military coup of the Taliban. I don’t think at any other time we’d look at a military coup by an enemy, in a country of an ally and say, we’re looking forward to finding opportunities to work with them,” Kinzinger said, as the U.S. cooperates with the Taliban to get some 100 remaining Americans out.
“There will be a moment, I fear, when the cell towers come down or the information is locked down, and we see the acceleration of the brutalization of women, of gays, of people that are different than what the Taliban wants them to be,” he added.
Kinzinger argued there is “so much hypocrisy” in the debate on whom to blame for the war ending as it began, under Taliban rule, including on all four presidents preceding Biden, but said the execution of the withdrawal is “what’s broken so many hearts.”
-ABC News’ Joanne Rosa contributed to this report
Sep 10, 11:33 am
2nd passenger plane takes off from Kabul
A second Qatar Airways flight has taken off from the airport in Kabul with an unknown number of Americans on board, a day after the more than 100 foreign nationals left Afghanistan on the first flight out since the U.S. military’s withdrawal.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that 39 Americans had been invited on Thursday’s chartered Qatar Airways flight from Kabul and from that group, 10 U.S. citizens and 11 lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, flew out.
Another 43 Canadian citizens, 13 British citizens and others were also aboard.
The Biden administration offered some praise for the Taliban on Thursday for their cooperation as officials try to fly out some 100 Americans without U.S. troops or a State Department presence on the ground.
Sep 10, 8:00 am
US has ‘many means’ to get intelligence in Afghanistan, Mayorkas says
The United States has “many means” of gathering intelligence in Afghanistan despite not having boots on the ground, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday.
“We no longer have troops in Afghanistan, but we have other resources to learn information on the ground and we certainly use those resources to the best of our abilities,” Mayorkas told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on “Good Morning America.”
“We are quite creative and quite capable of learning information from coast-to-coast and all over the world,” he added.
Mayorkas noted that the U.S. government is watching the potentially re-emerging terrorist threat in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan “very closely.”
“We watch the threat landscape all over the world,” he added. “We have built an entire architect to protect, to safeguard the American people.”
But the greatest threat to the U.S. homeland is currently domestic terrorism, according to Mayorkas.
“Individuals who are prone to violence by reason of an ideology of hate or false narratives that we see on social media or other online platforms,” he said. “I think it’s a sad thing to see hate emerge, as we have observed it emerge over the last several years.”
With the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks approaching, Mayorkas said the government is not aware of any “specific credible threats targeting the United States” on the somber date.
“But we are vigilant,” he added. “We watch the information, we learn information; but at this point in time, we don’t know of any threat on the anniversary.”
Sep 09, 3:57 pm
More than 30 Americans invited as passengers on flight from Kabul, some declined
More than 30 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents were invited by the U.S. to be passengers on the first chartered flight out of Kabul since the American evacuation mission ended, but not all said yes. Some said no because of medical reasons, extended family members or their desire for more time, among other reasons, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
Price said he could not give an exact number of those who did make Thursday’s flight to Qatar.
Echoing an earlier statement from the National Security Council, Price said he welcomed the Qatari Airways departure from Kabul. He said he hopes and expects more flights will be allowed to continue in the days to come.
Sep 09, 2:16 pm
White House confirms flight with Americans landed in Qatar, calls Taliban cooperation ‘professional’
National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne has confirmed that U.S. citizens and permanent residents were among the passengers on the first charter flight to leave the airport in Kabul since Qatar took over operations at the airport and that they have safely landed in Qatar.
The statement offered no passenger numbers, so it’s unclear how many U.S. citizens were on board, but it did provide some praise for the Taliban’s cooperation.
“The Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights from HKIA. They have shown flexibility, and they have been businesslike and professional in our dealings with them in this effort. This is a positive first step,” the statement said.
Here are some notable new tracks to take you through the weekend:
Glass Animals has released their new single, “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance).” Frontman Dave Bayley says the song was inspired by pandemic and needing to find an outlet to let off some steam. “I want people to switch their devices off, put this song on, close their eyes, and have that release for a moment,” he says.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa has officially released her debut solo project, LALISA, featuring the dance and hip-hop inspired title track and a song called “Money.”
Walker Hayes‘ viral crossover hit “Fancy Like” is getting some extra pop star power. The country star has just released a new version of the song featuring Kesha. Kesha sang the praises of the song, tweeting, “This song speaks to me on a very deep level. I’m fancy like…. A southern b**** who loves a Waffle House after a night at the dive bar n karaoke…. How u fancy like?”
And speaking of viral hits, Tai Verdeshas released a new version of his track “A-OK” featuring 24KGoldn.
The Hella Mega tour might be over, but you can still “Rock and Roll All Nite” with Green Day.
Billie Joe Armstrong and company have officially released their cover of the KISS classic, recorded during their trek with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. You can download the cover now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying video, featuring Hella Mega live footage, streaming now on YouTube.
When Green Day first debuted their version of “Rock and Roll All Nite” live, both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley praised the performance.
The Hella Mega tour concluded this past Monday in Seattle. The European leg of the outing is set to kick off June 2022.
Foo Fighters will be sticking around Brooklyn for an extra day following their MTV Video Music Awards performance.
Dave Grohl and company have announced a headlining show at the Coney Island Amphitheater on Monday, September 13. Tickets are on sale now. All attendees must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or provide a negative test within 48 hours of entering the venue.
The VMAs, meanwhile, take place Sunday, September 12, at the Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets. The Foos will be performing at the ceremony, during which they’ll also be honored with the Global Icon Award.
Other VMA performers include Machine Gun Kelly and Twenty One Pilots.
Doja Cat is putting her own spin on Grease for a new Pepsi ad.
In the promo for Pepsi’s new Soda Shop flavors, the singer takes on the role of Sandy and sings an updated version of “You’re the One That I Want.” But it’s not Danny Zuko she’s after — it’s his Pepsi.
The new ad is set to air during Sunday’s MTV VMAs, which Doja is hosting. The Pepsi Cream Soda and Black Cherry flavors will be available for a limited time only starting on September 20.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited a local middle school in Washington on Friday to talk about keeping students safe in classrooms as the raging delta variant has upended the start of the school year — and one day after Biden took his toughest tone yet and announced sweeping new federal requirements for vaccines and testing.
But Biden also offered another lesson to the next generation when asked by ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott about Republican governors calling his call for vaccination mandates an “overreach” and threatening to sue the federal government over his new plan.
“Have at it,” Biden said.
“I am so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities,” he said following brief remarks on keeping schools safe.
“One of the lessons I hope our students could unlearn is that politics doesn’t have to be this way,” he said. “They’re growing up in an environment where they see it’s like, like a war, like a bitter feud…It’s not who we are as a nation. And it’s not how we beat every other crisis in our history.”
Reintroducing his six-part strategy to combat the pandemic, Biden focused his remarks at Brookland Middle School on how his approach will help keep schools safe, including requiring that 300,000 educators in federal Head Start programs be vaccinated and using the Defense Production Act to produce nearly 300 million rapid COVID-19 tests for distribution at the schools around the country.
He also called for more governors and school districts to implement vaccine requirements.
“We all know if schools follow the science — like they are here — and implement safety measures like vaccinations testing, masking, then children can be safe in schools safe from COVID-19,” he said.
Biden acknowledged the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved vaccines for children under 12, leaving a large swath of the population without the choice to be vaccinated. He said while the FDA is working on the science “as safely and as quickly as possible,” the onus is on children aged 12 to 17, and adults, to get the shot to keep schools open.
“The safest thing you can do for your child 12 and over is get them vaccinated,” Biden said, speaking directly to parents.
He reminded that vaccine requirements in schools are “nothing new.”
“You got them vaccinated for all kinds of other things — measles, mumps, rubella — for them to go to school, to be able to play sports, they’ve had to have those vaccinations,” he added. “It is safe, and it’s convenient, and we’ll work to bring the vaccine clinics to our schools as well.”
Praising local vaccine incentives already in play, Biden, seemingly going off script, also offered the students at Brooklyn Middle School a visit to the White House once they’re all vaccinated.
“I’m going to get in trouble with the Secret Service and everybody else. I’m not sure how we’re going to mechanically do it, but I assume the buses can get you to the White House and if we can’t get you all in one room. We’ll be out in the Rose Garden or out in the back there and maybe let you fly the helicopter,” Biden said to laughter. “I’m only joking about that.”
The first lady, who returned to teaching this week and has been an advocate for keeping kids in the classroom, speaking ahead of her husband said it was the responsibility of educators and families to make schools safe for kids.
“We owe them a promise to keep their schools open as safe as possible. We owe them a commitment to follow the science. We owe them unity, so that we can fight the virus, not each other as we move forward,” she said.
In his address to the nation on Thursday, Biden also promised to make up the salary of any teacher or administrator whose pay was withheld for opposing state bans on masks.
Ahead of their remarks, the Bidens visited the classroom 6th-grade science teacher Ms. Michelle Taylor and talked with students, all of whom were masked up.
The visit comes after a record-high 2,396 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday. In the last week alone, nearly 252,000 children in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the largest increase of pediatric cases in a week since the pandemic began, according to a newly released weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
Megan Fox didn’t shy away from discussing her mental health in a new interview, where she candidly discussed overcoming a “pretty severe eating disorder” that was triggered by childhood trauma.
Speaking to CR Fashion Book for their forthcoming CR PARADE issue, the Transformers actress opened up about her complicated relationship with body image and self-love.
“I came into the world really bright and sunny and happy,” she began, according to Daily Mail. “However, at a certain point, I went through some trauma in childhood and I developed a pretty severe eating disorder and manic depression, which runs in my family, so there was definitely some wrestling with chemical imbalance going on.”
Fox, 35, related her inner struggle to the character she played in the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body by telling the outlet, “As I got into my early 20s, that hell-hath-no-fury, a woman scorned demon did rise up in me…I did tap into that archetype a few times as well.”
“That’s kind of what you see in Jennifer [of Jennifer’s Body] — that sort of nasty streak that can exist if you align yourself with that ancient energy,” she said.
Fox also opened up about being typecast as the vapid and pretty love interest in movies, and told the outlet, “I had always known that I was smart, so it was weird to have that one thing taken away from me now that I’m famous.”
“All of these other reasons that people recognize me, all of which I don’t resonate with or believe, and then to have the one thing that I do believe about myself be taken away, has been very challenging,” she said, slamming the “archaic slut-shaming, mom-shaming” in pop culture.
Alice in Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has released the title track off his upcoming solo album, Brighten.
While the previously released single “Atone” sounded very much cut from the same grungy cloth as Alice, “Brighten” feels more like a classic, bluesy rock n’ roll tune.
You can download the song “Brighten” now via digital outlets. Its accompany, surreal video premiered via Consequence.net.
Brighten the album arrives October 29. It’s Cantrell’s first solo outing in nearly 20 years.
Cantrell will launch a U.S. tour in support of Brighten in 2022.
