Recording an album is difficult enough on its own, but Mickey Guyton made her full-length studio debut, Remember Her Name, while simultaneously at work on another creative process: She was pregnant with her first child, a son named Grayson.
“Pregnancy wasn’t in the plan!” Mickey admits during a recent CMT interview, adding that “God gives you exactly what you need at that exact moment.”
For Mickey, becoming a mom meant focusing less on the criticism and pressure she faced from the country music industry, not only as a new artist, but also as a Black woman. “I know that I needed this beautiful boy to take my mind off the industry’s pressure and put that energy into this precious human,” she explains.
In addition, the pregnancy brought logistical challenges to the album-making process. “Recording and singing with a baby in your belly is a lot!” the singer goes on to say. “When I first found out that I was pregnant, the first trimester was the hardest for recording.”
Early pregnancy symptoms like nausea made it difficult for Mickey to predict when she’d be able to work, and later on, as the baby grew, it became physically difficult for her to sing.
“Then, in the final trimester, I had to learn how to sing with a six-pound baby in my belly. While recording the song ‘All American,’ for instance, there was no room for my diaphragm, so I had to wait for certain times of the day to record,” she recounts. “If I had just eaten, I literally couldn’t sing ‘All American,’ because my voice couldn’t hit those notes…”
Also on the track list of Remember Her Name are songs like “Black Like Me” and “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”
It’s not even Halloween yet, but Netflix is planting its flag for the holiday season, by announcing its 2021 slate, which includes 11 new holiday movies, six Christmas-themed series, and more — 28 new titles in all.
Here’s the full schedule of sleigh-time festivities from the streaming service:
November 1 — The Claus Family
November 5 — Love Hard
November 7 — Father Christmas Is Back
November 17 — Christmas Flow
November 18 — The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
November 23 — Waffles + Mochi’s Holiday Feast
November 24 — Blown Away Christmas A Boy Called Christmas Robin Robin
November 26 — A Castle for Christmas School of Chocolate
November 28 — Elves
November 30 — Charlie’s Colorfoms City: Snowy Stories
Coming in December:
December 2 — Single All The Way
December 3 — The Great British Baking Show: Holidays — Season 4 Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
December 6 — David and the Elves
December 14 — Starbeam: Beaming in the New Year
December 16 — A California Christmas: City Lights
December 22 — A Grumpy Christmas
December 24 — 1000 Miles from Christmas
The fourth Hotel Transylvania film, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, is coming to streaming on Amazon Prime early in January.
While original stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James — who voiced Dracula and Frankenstein, respectively — have departed the franchise, the rest of the cast has returned for the fourth installment. In addition to Selena Gomez, who is also an executive producer on the film, the voices include David Spade, Andy Samberg, Jim Gaffigan, Katherine Hahn and Steve Buscemi.
The first Hotel Transylvania movie was released in 2012, spawning a franchise that has earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide.
(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles will soon require that people show proof of full vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter many indoor establishments.
It will be one of the strictest vaccine rules in the country when it goes into effect next month.
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved the ordinance, which will apply to indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, shopping malls, entertainment venues (such as the Staples Center and movie theaters) and personal care establishments (including nail salons, spas and hair salons) starting Nov. 4.
Retail establishments, including grocery stores and pharmacies, are not included.
The ordinance passed with 11 votes — one vote short of the 12 needed to go into effect immediately.
The ordinance allows for medical and religious exemptions. In lieu of vaccination, patrons must show proof of a negative COVID-29 test taken within 72 hours.
The new law differs from orders previously issued in Los Angeles County. Starting Thursday, the county will require at least one dose or proof of a negative test for customers and staff at “high-risk settings” including indoor bars and nightclubs, with both doses by Nov. 4. The order doesn’t apply to indoor dining, though vaccine verification is recommended.
Some council members voiced concerns about the burden on small businesses to enforce the law. Nury Martinez, the City Council president, said the ordinance will help Los Angeles “finally get back on track to normalcy.”
“Angelenos deserve to see the other side of this pandemic — where we can return to walking around without masks, without restrictions, and without fear,” Martinez said on Twitter last week, ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
In Los Angeles, which is home to some 4 million people, nearly 70% of residents ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to city data.
New York was the first city nationwide to require vaccination for customers and staff at many indoor businesses this summer. For customers ages 12 and up, proof of at least one vaccine dose is required for indoor dining, workouts and entertainment. The city’s mandate, which went into effect mid-September, does not include retail or personal care, and does not offer a testing option.
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. Supreme Court case about state secrets and brutal CIA black-site interrogations after 9/11 took an abrupt turn Wednesday when a trio of justices demanded answers from the Biden administration about why the plaintiff — Al-Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah — is still held without charges in a military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, even though the war in Afghanistan has concluded.
“I don’t understand why he’s still there after 14 years,” said a clearly exasperated Justice Stephen Breyer.
The controversial wartime detention of alleged terrorist combatants was not the immediate focus of the case but was raised after more than an hour of oral arguments by Breyer and Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor.
The justices had all been wrestling with how to balance the government’s need to keep secret the foreign location of Zubaydah’s interrogation — in an effort to protect national security interests — and the detainee’s need to obtain testimony from two former CIA contractors about what happened when he was in their custody.
Zubaydah is pursuing a claim against Polish officials in Polish court for their alleged complicity in his harsh treatment at a CIA black site in the country, as outlined in a U.S. Senate report, and wants on-the-record testimony about what happened there. The U.S. government has never formally confirmed, nor denied, the existence of a site in Poland and contends testimony from the contractors could compromise secrets.
Justice Gorsuch suggested one “off-ramp,” or solution, to the entire case could be allowing Zubaydah to speak for himself about how he was treated, especially since many details have already been declassified in a 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report.
Zubaydah, who was captured in Pakistan in 2002, was waterboarded 83 times, spent 11 days in a coffin-size confinement box and was subjected to “walling, attention grasps, slapping, facial holds, stress positions and sleep deprivation,” according the report.
“Why not make the witness [Zubaydah] available? What is the government’s objection to the witness testifying to his own treatment and not requiring any admission from the government of any kind?” Gorsuch asked acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher, representing the Biden administration.
“I understand there are all sorts of rules and protective orders,” he continued, “I’d just really appreciate a straight answer to this: will the government make Petitioner [Zubaydah] available to testify as to his treatment during these dates?”
Fletcher, apparently caught off guard, explained that he could not offer an answer without first consulting with the Defense Department. He pledged to comply with the justices’ request. Under terms of his detention, Zubaydah is allowed to communicate only with his legal team.
“Well, gosh,” replied Gorsuch, “this case has been litigated for years and all the way up to the United States Supreme Court, and you haven’t considered whether that’s an off-ramp that — that the government could provide?”
The exchange was a remarkable moment that united justices from across the ideological spectrum.
Justice Sotomayor joined Gorsuch’s argument, saying, “We want a clear answer. Are you going to permit him to testify, yes or no?”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was participating virtually in the argument because of a COVID-19 diagnosis last week, attempted to throw the government a lifeline. “Is the US still engaged in hostilities under the AUMF against Al-Qaeda?” he asked.
“That is the government’s position, that notwithstanding withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, we continue to be engaged in hostilities with Al Qaeda and therefore that detention under law of order remains proper,” Fletcher replied.
It is unclear whether the terms of his detention could or would be modified to allow him to testify publicly about his treatment in CIA custody.
The government insists any official testimony that implicates Poland as the location of a CIA black site would breach the trust of our allies and harm future intelligence agreements.
Zubaydah says his pursuit of a case in Polish court could benefit from an eyewitness account of what happened to him, even though many details are already in the public domain. “I want to shine a light on what happened,” said his attorney David Klein.
A majority of the justices appeared inclined to show deference to the government’s national security concerns about formally confirming Poland as a black site location, but they were also skeptical of a sweeping assertion of state secrets privilege that prevents Zubaydah from providing his own account in a court of law.
The justices are expected to hand down a decision in the case by the end of June 2022.
(Minneapolis, MINN.) — Newly released body camera footage shows Minneapolis police officers allegedly celebrating the “hunting” of anti-police brutality protesters just five days after the murder of George Floyd.
In one video, a protester yells: “We’re unarmed! This is America. We can say what we want!”
In response, an officer appears to shoot at the protester with rubber bullets.
Floyd’s death set off months of protests against police violence and racism. The city of Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed by then-MPD officer Derek Chauvin, set a curfew in response to the unrest.
The body cam footage released to the public by the court captures the police department’s enforcement of the 8 p.m. curfew: Officers firing rubber bullets at numerous people out on the streets in an attempt to forcefully clear them of demonstrators. Some officers can be seen and heard celebrating and even fist-bumping over their successful hits.
In the recording, one officer can be heard saying: “You guys are out hunting people now. It’s just a nice change of tempo.”
Shortly after, another officer comments: “F— these people.”
In another video, an officer says: “I would love to scatter [the protesters] but it’s time to f—— put 100 people in jail and just prove the mayor wrong about his white supremacist from out of state,” referring to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s comments about white supremacists and out-of-state instigators.
The officer later adds, “This group is probably predominantly white because there’s not looting and fires.”
Due to an ongoing internal investigation into the actions of officers seen in the videos, the Minneapolis Police Department declined ABC News’ request for comment.
The footage was introduced as part of the criminal case against Jaleel Stallings, who was accused of trying to kill police officers but has since been acquitted of all charges, according to his attorney Eric Rice.
The 27-year-old faced two counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and three other charges for firing a gun at an unmarked police van. No officers were injured.
Stallings argued that he fired at the unmarked police van in self-defense. In an affidavit, Stallings said that other people were running from the unmarked van and warned him of people shooting from the vehicle. He said that after being hit by a rubber bullet himself, he used his gun to shoot the vehicle in an attempt to scare the attackers off.
A little over a year after the release of their last studio effort, Whoosh!, Deep Purple has announced plans to put out a new album titled Turning to Crime on November 26.
The new collection, which was produced by the band’s frequent collaborator, Bob Ezrin, features the British hard-rock legends putting their own spin on 12 songs originally recorded by other artists.
Turning to Crime, which is Deep Purple’s first-ever covers album, includes versions of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Oh Well,” Bob Dylan‘s “Watching the River Flow,” Little Feat‘s “Dixie Chicken,” The Yardbirds‘ “Shapes of Things,” Cream‘s “White Room,” and more.
The final track is a medley titled “Caught in the Act” that features sections of songs by Booker T & the MG’s, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, and The Spencer Davis Group.
According to a making-of video posted on the earMUSIC label’s YouTube channel, the album came together remotely while the band members were separated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each member chose songs they wanted to record and then the group voted on the final list of tunes.
In advance of Turning to Crime, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have released the album’s lead track, a prog-flavored version of Love‘s 1966 garage-rock classic “7 and 7 Is,” as a digital single.
Turning to Crime can be pre-ordered now, and will be available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set, as a five-LP/DVD box set and digitally.
You can check out more details about the album at TurningToCrime.com. Fans who sign up for Deep Purple’s newsletter at the site will receive a free download of a non-album track on November 12.
Here’s the full Turning to Crime track list:
“7 and 7 Is”
“Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”
“Oh Well”
“Jenny Take a Ride!”
“Watching the River Flow”
“Let the Good Times Roll”
“Dixie Chicken”
“Shapes of Things”
“The Battle of New Orleans”
“Lucifer”
“White Room”
“Caught in the Act” (Medley: “Going Down”/”Green Onions”/”Hot ‘Lanta”/”Dazed and Confused”/”Gimme Some Lovin'”)
Will Packer is sharing his gratitude following the news that he’s now the official producer of the 94th Academy Awards.
“I’d like to thank the Academy,” Packer captioned an Instagram post, which shared The Hollywood Reporter‘s feature on his appointment.
He then added “mind blown” and “dancing” emojis to his post.
As previously reported, Packer, the Emmy-nominated director and producer of blockbusters like Girls Trip and Ride Along, comes to the show with his Will Packer Media chief of staff Shayla Cowan, who will serve as co-producer of the 2022 telecast.
Other staffing, including a director and a potential host, have yet to be confirmed.
The Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping will hold a virtual meeting before the end of this year, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
That’s the key outcome of six hours of meetings Wednesday between two of their top aides – national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.
The virtual summit comes amid high tension in the critical relationship between the world’s two largest economies, including over trade and regional challenges like Taiwan. China has sent scores of military planes into Taiwan’s air defense zone in recent days, raising concerns about potential conflict.
The two men and their delegations met in Switzerland, where they had what the senior administration official described as a “more meaningful and substantive engagement than we have had to date below the leader level.”
They attributed that to the long phone call Biden and Xi had last month, saying Sullivan and Yang had been “empowered directly” by their leaders to have a more honest back-and-forth, away from cameras and off talking points, per the official.
There had been hopes that Biden and Xi could meet in person on the sidelines of the COP26 climate conference or the G20 summit this fall – but Xi will not attend either in person.
So far, there are no other details confirmed about the meeting – one of several tasks ahead of the two leaders’ advisers after these engagements.
This is a developing story. Please check back in for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Owen Diaz, the former Tesla employee who sued the electric car company over allegations of racism, is opening up about his experience.
“[Tesla] decided not to follow through, they decided to kill investigations,” Diaz said on “Good Morning America” Wednesday. “Tesla, as a company, as a whole, needs to wake up. You know you can’t keep treating workers like this.”
Diaz was hired as a contract elevator operator at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California. He worked there from June 2015 to July 2016. Diaz claimed fellow workers called him the “n-word,” was told to “go back to Africa” and saw racist and derogatory images in the factory’s bathroom stalls.
Diaz said he complained to Tesla about his treatment but his supervisors failed to stop the abuse. He left the company four years ago, filing a lawsuit in October 2017 that claimed “Tesla’s progressive image was a facade papering over its regressive, demeaning treatment of African-American employees.”
Now, after receiving one of the largest awards in a racial harassment case in the history of the United States, Diaz said he feels justice was served. A San Francisco federal jury awarded him $137 million on Monday.
“It’s God’s justice that this happened, you know, and allowed me to talk for people who can’t talk for themselves. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck to paycheck. They have to take choose to either take the abuse that these billion-dollar companies are putting out or feed their families,” Diaz said.
Mr. Diaz’s attorney, Lawrence Organ of the California Civil Rights Law Group, spoke to “Good Morning America” as well and said the verdict “makes Tesla take notice of these horrid conditions, and hopefully it will make them change and make other companies change and realize, racist conduct has no place in the workplace.”
In an internal email to employees, Valerie Capers Workman, Tesla’s vice president of people, said Tesla of 2015 and 2016 “is not the same as the Tesla of today.” Tesla published Workman’s email in a blog post on its website following the verdict.
“While we strongly believe that these facts don’t justify the verdict reached by the jury in San Francisco, we do recognize that in 2015 and 2016, we were not perfect. We’re still not perfect. But we have come a long way from 5 years ago,” Workman said in her email.
Tesla had responded to Diaz’s complaints of harassment by firing two contractors and suspending a third contractor, according to Workman.
This is not the first time Tesla faced claims of a hostile, racist work environment. The company had to contend in court with similar lawsuits, including a class-action civil rights lawsuit filed in 2017 in Alameda County Superior Court. That case is still pending.
In August, a court ruled that Tesla must pay a million-dollar fine in the case of Melvin Berry, a former black employee, who was allegedly subjected for years to racial insults from his colleagues. Tesla has denied all claims.
Tesla employees are bound by mandatory arbitration contracts when they start their jobs, preventing them from suing the company. Diaz was a contract worker.
Diaz said he knows that his case is “bigger than him.”
“This is not really about me. This is about a verdict that a jury made to let Tesla know that they’re being put on notice to clean up their factories,” he said.
