Shawn Mendes was clearly a fan of Niall Horan’s guest-hosting gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week.
“I need @NiallOfficial to have his own talk show one day !!!” Shawn tweeted Thursday. “Born to host and make people laugh and smile !!”
Niall responded and said he might be open to the idea — if the whole pop star thing doesn’t go as planned.
“Hahahah. Maybe one day,” he tweeted. “If I’m doing a talk show full time, you know the music career hasn’t worked out and that’s not a good thing.”
Hey, if Kelly Clarkson can do both, maybe Niall can too!
The former One Direction member filled in for Jimmy Kimmel Tuesday night, where he played a hilarious game of golf with the Jonas Brothers and engaged in some heavy flirtation with Lizzo in a now-viral interview.
Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of Aaliyah in 2001, and her mother is accusing a writer of visiting the gravesite to promote an unauthorized biography.
“First and foremost I want to thank my dear ‘Special Ones’ (The Fans) that have been with us for years and supported every endeavor that came our way without hesitation,” Diana Haughton wrote on Aaliyah’s Instagram page. “However, due to the behavior of an individual that has been to Aaliyah’s resting place in order to promote a book, I have been forced to make a drastic change at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum.”
It is unclear what the change is at the cemetery, which is located in Hartsdale, New York.
“This person interrupted all my thoughts and ideas to make August 25th, 2021 a day of Remembrance and Love for my daughter,” Haughton continued, referring to the date of Aaliyah’s death. “Please accept my sincere apologies for this and know I love you and always will. Aaliyah’s life will shine no matter what.”
Kathy Iandoli, who last week published the book, Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah, denies the accusation.
“I did not promote my book outside of Aaliyah’s gravesite. That is offensive to even suggest,” she responded on Instagram. “I have been told that fans have had my book there with them. Please no longer bring my book to Ferncliff. Apologies that fans can not visit Aaliyah’s resting place.”
As previously reported, on August 20, Aaliyah’s second album, 1996’s One in a Million, became available for the first time on all streaming platforms. Spotify will release her entire catalog, with the Romeo Must Die soundtrack following on September 3, her self-titled album on September 10, and the I Care 4 U compilation project, which was released in 2002, on October 8, according toEssence.
Luke Combs officially released “South on Ya,” his love song to life in the rural Southeast, this week. It’s more than just an ode to the North Carolina native’s home turf: The song will also be this year’s brand anthem for the SEC Network.
That means that fans can hear Luke’s song throughout live college football events and on-air programming this fall.
“Man, this is pretty special,” the singer notes. “In the beginning of my career, I spent a lot of my time playing my music all over towns within the SEC. The fact that one of my songs is now such a big part of the Network is really cool to me. It feels like a full-circle moment, for sure. I am a huge fan of the SEC and am honored my song was chosen to be a part of it.”
In the lyrics of “South on Ya,” Luke shouts out every included state, from “muddy Mississippi” and “swampy Louisiana” to “the grass in Kentucky” and “the blue skies in Carolina.”
The set includes three previously unreleased songs: “Meanwhile” featuring Jelani Blackman and Barrington Levy; “Jimmy Jimmy,” featuring AJ Tracey; and “Déjà Vu,” featuring Alicai Harley. You can download it now via digital outlets.
Gorillaz previously premiered all three tracks during their concerts at The O2 in London earlier this month in support of the U.K.’s NHS healthcare system.
Meanwhile follows Gorillaz’s 2020 album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. The collaborative effort featured guests including The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent and Elton John.
NEON Films has released a teaser-trailer to Spencer, the film that has Kristen Stewart portraying Princess Diana.
Set to a choral version of Lou Reed‘s “Perfect Day,” the clip juxtaposes servants laying out royal finery for a sumptuous holiday dinner with Stewart’s Diana, tearfully looking at herself in a bathroom mirror.
“Ma’am?” a servant knocks at the door. “They’re waiting for you.”
Diana is shown hurrying down a hallway to dutifully make an appearance with the other guests at the table, looking unsteady as she does.
As previously reported, Spencer takes place in the 1990s and will have Stewart playing Diana over a crucial Christmas holiday during which she plotted her divorce from Prince Charles and began charting a life away from the British royal family.
The snippets shown in the teaser get increasingly frantic, with Diana literally spinning out of control.
“They know everything,” a woman tells Diana.
“They don’t,” is her Stewart’s somber reply.
The synopsis from production company NEON reads, “December, 1991: The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different.”
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 director Pablo Larrain, who previously called the shots on Natalie Portman‘s Oscar-nominated 2016 Jacqueline Kennedy biopic, Jackie.
Bring Me the Horizon has worked with the likes of Yungblud, Halsey and Evanescence‘s Amy Lee, but frontman Oli Sykes has just now released his “fave collab so far.”
Sykes is featured on a new song called “Salt,” recorded by buzzy Filipino-Australian musician daine. In an Instagram post announcing the track, Sykes writes, “‘SALT’ IS OUT NOW MY FAVE COLLAB SO FAR SORRY FOR CAPS BUT I’M GIDDY.”
“I’M CHANNELING SUM PROPA DOWNA EMO VIBES HERE,” he adds.
You can listen to “Salt” now via digital outlets.
Bring Me the Horizon’s most recent release is their 2020 EP Post Human: Survival Horror. In a TikTok post earlier this month, the band declared that they were “bAck2wORk,” suggesting more new music is on the, ahem, horizon.
Old Dominion are heading to Atlanta next weekend, where they’ll be helping football fans kick off their tailgate in style with a free show.
The band has signed on to play the T-Mobile Kickoff Concert, which happens September 4 ahead of the Alabama versus Miami Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game. No tickets will be required to see the show, which will take place outside the city’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of limited edition Old Dominion sunglasses.
The show announcement comes just days after the group revealed plans to put out their next studio album, Time, Tequila & Therapy, which is due for release in October. When they shared that news, Old Dominion dropped their newest song, “All I Know About Girls.”
The band’s Atlanta stop comes in the midst of a busy tour schedule. You can also catch OD on the road at a variety of fairs, festivals and arenas throughout the fall.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group
While fans anxiously await the release of Kanye West‘s DONDA, the rapper has reportedly raked in millions from its delay.
One way the Yeezy founder apparently cashed in on his upcoming album is by holding listening events. The first event, held on July 22, was followed by another two weeks later. Both took place at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, with 42,000 fans dishing out between $25 to $100 for a ticket, which Billboardestimates grossed between $1.5 million and $2.7 million.
Both times, DONDA failed to drop the following day, leaving fans on standby.
A third listening party is now scheduled for Thursday at Soldier Field in Kanye’s hometown of Chicago, where he will likely rake in some more dough — and is also expected to finally release his highly-anticipated 10th studio effort.
In addition to the live-streamed listening events, a source close to Ye says he snagged about $7 million in in-person merchandise sales. And that’s not all.
The buzz around DONDA has also resulted in an uptick of people streaming Kanye’s music. The outlet reports that his U.S. streams rose 37% between July 19 and August 9, which earned him an estimated $350,000.
So, if we do the math, Ye could have easily made somewhere close to $10 million before he even released DONDA.
A vinyl box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel‘s career and focusing mainly on his 1970s albums is due out on November 5, the same day Joel will play his first rescheduled residency show at New York’s Madison Square Garden since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Billy Joel — The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 is a nine-LP package featuring the singer/songwriter’s first six studio efforts — 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor, 1973’s RIAA four-times-Platinum Piano Man, 1974’s Streetlife Serenade, 1976’s Turnstiles, 1977’s RIAA Diamond-certified The Stranger and 1978’s seven-times-Platinum 52nd Street — plus his first live album, 1981’s Songs in the Attic, and a previously unreleased two-disc concert album titled Live at The Great American Music Hall – 1975.
The box set, which you can pre-order now, also will feature a booklet that boasts archival photos, Joel’s comments about his early music, tributes from various well-known musicians and celebrities, and an essay by music journalist Anthony DeCurtis.
Live at The Great American Music Hall, which will be available exclusively as part of The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, was recorded in June 1975 in San Francisco. The concert features versions of such popular Joel tunes as “You’re My Home,” “New York State of Mind,” “The Entertainer” and “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” as well as Billy’s imitations of Joe Cocker, Elton John and Leon Russell.
Among the many classic songs features on the box set are “She’s Got a Way,” “Piano Man,” “Captain Jack,” “The Entertainer,” “New York State of Mind,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’ Song),” “She’s Always a Woman,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” My Life,” “Big Shot,” and “Honesty.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 632,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 60.5% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Aug 26, 2:41 pm
Texas sending 2,500 medical workers to support overwhelmed hospitals
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is sending 2,500 medical workers to support the state’s overwhelmed health care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.
This follows the 5,600 medical workers, mostly nurses and respiratory therapists, previously dispatched to the state’s hospitals.
Texas’ Department of State Health Services is also offering more medical equipment including ventilators and hospital beds, the governor said.
Texas had 13,928 COVID-19 patients in hospitals as of Wednesday evening, nearing the state’s record of 14,218 patients in January.
Aug 26, 2:17 pm
Delta employee vaccinations see massive jump
The number of Delta employees going to the airline’s on-site clinic for first vaccine doses has increased more than fivefold Thursday, just 24 hours after the company said it was raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees.
Delta said Wednesday health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees would go up by $200 per month beginning Nov. 1 to cover COVID-19 costs like potential hospitalization, which the airline says has cost it $40,000 per person on average.
Unvaccinated employees will also have to wear masks indoors and be required to take a weekly COVID test beginning Sept. 12.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Aug 26, 11:24 am
New mask, vaccine mandates announced in Illinois
In Illinois, masks will be required indoors regardless of vaccination status beginning on Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday.
The governor also said that vaccines will be required for higher education personnel and students, health care workers and P-12 teachers and staff. The unvaccinated must get tested at least once per week.
“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the governor said, adding that 95% of deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated.
Illinois is now seeing 220 patients admitted to hospitals each day, the highest since May.
Aug 26, 7:45 am
Florida sees record 26,203 new cases in a day
Florida reported 26,203 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, setting a new record for the state’s single-day case counts.
Florida’s previous all-time high was 25,957 new cases recorded on Aug. 12, according to data collected by the CDC.
The seven-day moving average of new cases per day in the Sunshine State now stands at 21,604. In total, Florida has reported more than 3.1 million confirmed cases statewide and over 42,000 deaths.
Aug 26, 5:17 am
Japan suspends 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination concern
Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reported contamination, as the country grapples with surging infections.
Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., which is in charge of distributing the Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a press release Thursday that it has received reports of foreign substances in some unused vials at multiple inoculation sites. Although some doses might have been administered, Takeda said there have been no reports of safety concerns tied to the affected vials so far.
After consulting with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Wealth, Takeda said it decided as a safety precaution to stop using doses from three separate lots, manufactured in the same production line as the contaminated vials. The company said it has requested Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation into the issue.
For doses from non-suspended lots, Takeda urged people to check the vials for discolouration, foreign substances or other abnormalities before continuing to use. Meanwhile, the Japanese health ministry said it will work with Takeda to supply alternative doses in an effort to minimize the impact on the country’s vaccination progress.
Moderna told ABC News that it has put the 1.63 million doses on hold in Japan after being notified that some of the vials may have been contaminated. One of the three lots received “several complaints of particulate matter” in its vials, the American drugmaker said, while the two other adjacent lots were put on hold out of “an abundance of caution” and for continued assurance of quality.
According to Moderna, the manufacturing issue may have come from one of the lines used at its contract manufacturing site in Spain. The Massachusetts-based company said it is looking into the contamination reports and “proactively communicating with Japan’s health authorities and its partners as the investigation proceeds.” Moderna added that it remains “committed to working transparently and expeditiously” with its Japanese distribution partner and with regulators to address any potential concerns. No safety or efficacy concerns have been identified so far, the company said.
Moderna noted that the pause in Japan does not impact doses distributed in the United States, or put the American supply at risk in any way.
Aug 25, 8:50 pm
Pediatrician emphasizes importance of getting vaccine during pregnancy
Columbia University pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while nursing.
Recent health data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that three out of four pregnant women in the U.S. are unvaccinated, and the numbers are lower for Black pregnant women, with nine out of 10 unvaccinated.
Sanchez, who is eight months pregnant and vaccinated, told ABC News that expecting mothers are more vulnerable to diseases and the current data shows the vaccines are safe for them.
“We now know from over close to 40,000 women that there is no increased risk of miscarriage of early delivery of your baby, which are the things that worry a lot of pregnant women,” she said.
Sanchez said she did not hesitate to get her shots once she became eligible.
“I really, really hope that pregnant women out there hear this call and go ahead and get themselves this vaccine and protect themselves, their baby and their pregnancy,” she said.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
High school football dies from COVID
A high school football player in Louisiana who contracted the coronavirus died Wednesday, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported.
Patrick Sanders, 14, was a freshman at Baker High School.
Baker, Louisiana Mayor Darnell Waites told the station that the teen’s death highlighted the importance of vaccinations.
“If we want to save lives, we have to make the choice to save lives,” Waites told the station. “This wasn’t his fault.”
The rest of the football team is currently quarantining, WBRZ reported.
Aug 25, 8:27 pm
Texas hospital numbers near record high
The Texas Health Department reported Wednesday that 13,928 COVID-19 patients are currently in Texas Hospitals.
This is close to the record 14,218 patients recorded during the January peak.
There are 306 available ICU beds in the state, according to the health department.
