Mark Hoppus recently took a significant step in his battle with cancer: he played his bass for the first time since being diagnosed.
The Blink-182 vocalist brought out his trusty instrument during a recent Twitch stream, which was posted by a fan on YouTube.
“This is the first time I’ve felt well enough to play my bass since I was diagnosed,” Hoppus said before playing along to a recording of Blink’s 2005 single, “Not Now.” “So this is the first time I’ve picked up my bass in a few months.”
Hoppus revealed in June that he’d been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer for the past three months. In a post on July 19, he shared that a recent scan indicated that the chemo was working.
“I still have months of treatment ahead, but it’s the best possible news,” he wrote.
Alessia Cara is contributing her music to the upcoming anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus, on Adult Swim.
A new trailer for the series debuted during San Diego Comic-Con@Home experience, featuring the new original Alessia track “Feel You Now.” She’ll also have other music featured in the series, set to debut later this fall.
On July 15, Alessia released two new songs: “Sweet Dream” and “Shapeshifter.” The tracks were the first taste of new music from the singer’s upcoming third album.
(DALLAS) — The Presidents of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma have sent a letter to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey requesting an invitation to join the conference, according to a joint statement.
“The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Oklahoma (the “Universities”) request invitations for membership to the Southeastern Conference (the “SEC”) starting on July 1, 2025. We believe that there would be mutual benefit to the Universities on the one hand, and the SEC on the other hand, for the Universities to become members of the SEC,” the letter said.
On Tuesday, Sankey released a statement confirming he received the letter.
“While the SEC has not proactively sought new members, we will pursue significant change when there is a clear consensus among our members that such actions will further enrich the experiences of our student-athletes and lead to greater academic and athletic achievement across our campuses,” Sankey said in a statement. “The Presidents and Chancellors of the SEC, in their capacity as the conference’s Chief Executive Officers, will consider these requests in the near future.”
Per SEC bylaws, 11 of the 14 schools would need to vote in the affirmative to extend invitations.
On Monday, the two schools issued a joint statement saying that they notified the Big 12 that the schools will not renew their grant of media rights in 2025.
“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” the statement said. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements. However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future.”
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby responded to Texas and Oklahoma in a statement on Monday.
“Although our eight members are disappointed with the decisions of these two institutions, we recognize that intercollegiate athletics is experiencing rapid change and will most likely look much different in 2025 than it does currently,” the statement said. “The Big 12 Conference will continue to support our member institutions’ efforts to graduate student-athletes, and compete for Big 12 and NCAA championships. Like many others, we will use the next four years to fully assess what the landscape will look like in 2025 and beyond. The remaining eight institutions will work together in a collaborative manner to thoughtfully and strategically position the Big 12 Conference for continued success, both athletically and academically, long into the future.”
New Orleans singer Lucky Daye took to Instagram Tuesday to reveal he just completed filming a music video in Mexico City, Mexico.
“Just wrapped my video. Thank you Mexico. Ready for new music,” Daye wrote in the caption, paired with two emojis of the Mexico flag and his signature four-leaf clover.
Most fans in the comments offered to teach Daye to sing in another language after he asked, “Who can teach me Spanish?” Others took notice of Daye’s toned-down haircut with faded sides, including one fan who wrote, “This new haircut is really giving what it’s supposed to give.”
Meanwhile, Daye’s record label, Keep Cool, added that fans are “ready” to hear what the Grammy-nominated singer has been working on since releasing his Table for TwoEP two days before Valentine’s day.
“We are past ready sir,” replied one fan, while another said, “Yasss baby…in my New Orleans voice.”
Jameson Rodgers has a cold beer calling his name on the road.
Next month, Jameson will embark on his headlining Cold Beer Calling My Name Tour, a 27-date trek launching on August 6 in Ohio. The tour marks his first headlining show in New York City with a performance at Bowery Ballroom on October 13.
Along the way, he’ll make stops at the historic Georgia Theatre in Athens, The Blue Note in Columbia, Missouri, Mohegan Sun Wolf Den in Connecticut and more. The tour concludes just before Christmas with a two-night run at famed Nashville club, Exit/In, on December 16 and 17.
Brandon Lay, Jordan Rowe, Drew Parker, Drew Green, Hunter Phelps and singer-songwriter Sarah Allison Turner, who’s also Jameson’s fiancé, will serve as opening acts.
“I’ve waited 11 years to have a tour of my own like this one. Having my fiancé and some of my best friends opening the shows make it so much sweeter. This will be one to remember,” Jameson shares in a statement.
The Cold Beer Calling My Name tour is named after Jameson’s current top-15 single, featuring Luke Combs. Tickets go on sale Friday. Visit Jameson’s website for a full list of dates.
(NEW YORK) — In Watertown, Connecticut, you can hear the squeak of a swing’s chain as it glides back and forth, along with the laughter of children at play. They are sounds that harken back to the simpler and sweeter moments of childhood.
This playground has special significance. It was built in honor of Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, the former principal of Sandy Hook Elementary. She was one of the five school faculty members and 20 first and second grade students shot and killed in December 2012, when a former student stormed the building.
Bill Lavin heads up the construction of the playgrounds for the charitable organization Where Angels Play. “This is the final of the 26 playgrounds that we did, and this was dedicated to really all of the children and the teachers, but in particular, Dawn Hochsprung,” he said. “This is celebrating Dawn’s life and her love of teaching.
Lavin calls it the flagship of the project, which includes playgrounds throughout Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Each one reflects the personalities, passions and lives of those who died. “So you’ll see that here there’s 20 swings that represent — for us, anyway — the special number of the children.” Six other toys represent the educators who were killed.
He says the idea grew out of an effort by the New Jersey State Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association to provide support for families after 9/11 and then Superstorm Sandy. When the Sandy Hook shootings happened, Lavin said he had to act and the victims’ families united behind the project.
“So we made sure that this was their project, and that they would honor and find a way to express how these beautiful children lived, rather than how they left us,” Lavin said.
Carlos Soto helped build some of the playgrounds, including one in memory of his daughter, in nearby Stratford, Connecticut. Victoria Soto was the Sandy Hook teacher who died shielding her students.
“She always told us that she wanted to be special, different than other teachers,” he said. “And that made us very happy with that, knowing that she was helping other kids.”
Soto, along with other parents, children and colleagues, are left to cope with the loss each day. He’s working to support others affected by gun violence.
“I think that my daughter has given me that tool to help other parents that have lost kids,” he said. But he also said the inaction by lawmakers on gun violence following Sandy Hook is painful for him and his family.
What has changed?
A generation of K-12 students have grown up in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting preparing for the possibility of a shooting at their school, even if they don’t know it.
In a kindergarten classroom in New Jersey, 6-year-old Liam and his classmates practiced a drill they have yet to learn the significance of, an active shooter lockdown drill. They were told the intruder was an animal. He recalled to his mom Tara Gimbel, an ABC News producer, “We had to go down and hide under our desks and we pretended there was a bear.”
Hannah Jack, who’s 19, calls this the new normal. “That was life at that point it didn’t even dawn on me that it would be any different.”
Jack was in 5th grade in Watertown, Connecticut, when the Sandy Hook shooting happened. “I could see the pain in their face and how scared they were when the alarms went off and it scared me too, you know?”
John Woodrow Cox, the author of “Children Under Fire: an American Crisis,” estimates that during a single school year, 4 to 8 million kids experience lockdowns. He says even false alarms are leaving their mark.
“A meaningful number of that, four to eight million kids thought, at least momentarily, that they might get shot to death in their school. And we know that because they text their parents goodbye, they write wills saying who they want their toys to go. They soil themselves. They weep,” Cox said. “And none of those kids –- right? — none of those kids actually saw a school shooting. They didn’t get shot at. They didn’t see someone get shot. It was the threat of it that was so terrifying. And it’s terrifying because they know about Parkland, they know about Columbine, they know about all these other school shootings.”
Even in the safety of homes, children are getting their hands on the guns, hurting others or themselves. According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 3,700 children and teens died or were injured in gun incidents in 2019.
Cox says the ripple effect of gun violence is far-reaching and long-lasting. “The reality of America, is that gun violence, there’s 400 million-plus guns in this country. Gun violence can affect a family or a child’s life at any time, regardless of the community that they’re in,” he said.
Cox points to other countries whose gun-fatalities numbers are far lower than ours. “There is no evidence that Americans are more evil than people in Australia or England or Canada or anywhere else,” he said. “The difference is anybody who wants to get a gun in this country at this moment, it’s not that hard.”
Back at the playground in Watertown, Lavin says the families of Sandy Hook victims want to move beyond politics and find common ground.
“You know, we should be able to figure it out,” he said. “And I think that’s what their hope is. Not that they want, you know, their children to be poster children, but maybe to prevent another family from going through what they had to experience.”
Soto says, on the bad days, he goes to his daughter’s playground. “They ask me, ‘Carlos, how can you do it?’ I say it’s not easy, but it’s not hard. And I sit there watching the kids play, and enjoying it, and that gives me more relief. And it gives me peace.”
This story is part of the series Gun Violence in America by ABC News Radio. Each day this week we’re exploring a different topic, from what we mean when we say “gun violence” – it’s not just mass shootings – to what can be done about it. You can hear an extended version of each report as an episode of the ABC News Radio Specials podcast. Subscribe and listen on any of the following podcast apps:
Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachellas for Coachella for Coachella for Def Jam Recordings
Dess Dior has tested postive for COVID-19.
The “Bandz” rapper, who performed at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami on Saturday, revealed the news to her Twitter followers late Monday evening.
“Update: I tested positive for Covid & everybody who’s been in contact with me should go get tested asap,” she tweeted.
On Sunday, prior to her confirmed positive status, Dess complained about not feeling well, writing, “I’m sick af in soooooo much pain rn.” She soon followed up that tweet with, “I don’t think I have Covid but ima get tested to be safe.”
Dess, who has romantic ties to fellow rapper Future, was flooded with “get well soon” comments from fans after sharing the news.
Prolific songwriter Diane Warren has revealed the full track list for her upcoming debut album, Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1.
The new original songs feature an array of artists including Pentatonix, Lauren Jauregui, Rita Ora, Luis Fonsi, Maren Morris and Ty Dolla $ign.
Pentatonix teams up with Jon Batiste on the track “Sweet,” Lauren is featured on the song “Not Prepared for You,” Rita joins the track “Seaside,” Luis hops on the track “When We Dance Slow,” Maren sings on “I Save Me,” and Ty Dolla $ign performs the tune “Drink You Away.”
Diane previously released the track “She’s on Fire,” featuring rapper G-Eazy and legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana, as well as the song “Times Like These,” featuring Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish.
Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1 comes out August 27. It’s available for pre-order now.
Here is the track list:
“She’s Fire” — Diane Warren, G-Eazy & Carlos Santana
“Seaside” — Diane Warren, Rita Ora, Sofia Reyes & Reik
“Sweet” — Diane Warren, Jon Batiste & Pentatonix
“When We Dance Slow” — Diane Warren & Luis Fonsi
“I Save Me” — Diane Warren & Maren Morris
“Where is Your Heart” — Diane Warren & John Legend
“Drink You Away” — Diane Warren & Ty Dolla $ign
“You Go First” — Diane Warren & James Arthur
“Not Prepared For You” — Diane Warren & Lauren Jauregui
“You Kind Of Beautiful” — Diane Warren & Jimmie Allen
“Domino” — Diane Warren & LP
“Superwoman” — Diane Warren & Celine Dion
“Times Like This” — Diane Warren & Darius Rucker
“Grow Old With Me” — Diane Warren, Leona Lewis & James Morrison
“Blessings” — Diane Warren & Paloma Faith
The full lineup and more details have been unveiled for the star-studded concert that will take place in New York City at Central Park’s Great Lawn on August 21 that Big Apple Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed late last month.
The event, which will celebrate the city’s “rebirth” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has been dubbed “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert.” Among the stars joining the previously announced Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson on the bill are Journey, Carlos Santana, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas and many others.
With Santana and Thomas both performing, it could set the scene for a performance of their collaborative hit, “Smooth.”
Most of the tickets for the concert will be available for free, while Citi card members will be able to purchase presale VIP tickets beginning this Thursday, July 29, at 10 a.m. ET. In addition, Citi will give away 1,000 general admission tickets to card holders on a first-come, first-served basis starting Monday, August 2, at 10 a.m. ET.
Additional free tickets, as well as VIP tickets for purchase, will be released to the general public in batches daily from Monday, August 2, through Saturday, August 7, via NYC.gov/HomecomingWeek. Attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Other celebs on the lineup include Earth, Wind & Fire, The Killers, Barry Manilow, LL Cool J, Jimmy Fallon, and Wyclef Jean.
The concert will begin at 5 p.m. ET and air live on CNN. The event was produced by New York City, music mogul Clive Davis and Live Nation.
“This is a celebration of our city, of every working family who faced incredible challenges last year and overcame,” says Mayor de Blasio. “This is a celebration for you.”
Prolific songwriter Diane Warren has revealed the full track list for her upcoming debut album, Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1.
The new original songs feature an array of artists including John Legend, Celine Dion, Pentatonix, James Arthur, Maren Morris and Leona Lewis.
John joins Diane on a track called “Where Is Your Heart,” Celine is featured on the song “Superwoman,” Pentatonix teams up with Jon Batiste on the track “Sweet,” James hops on the song “You Go First,” Maren sings on “I Save Me,” and Leona performs the tune “Grow Old with Me.”
Diane previously released the track “She’s on Fire,” featuring rapper G-Eazy and legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana, as well as the song “Times Like These” featuring Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish.
Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1 comes out August 27. It’s available for pre-order now.
Here is the track list:
“She’s Fire” — Diane Warren, G-Eazy & Carlos Santana
“Seaside” — Diane Warren, Rita Ora, Sofia Reyes & Reik
“Sweet” — Diane Warren, Jon Batiste & Pentatonix
“When We Dance Slow” — Diane Warren & Luis Fonsi
“I Save Me” — Diane Warren & Maren Morris
“Where is Your Heart” — Diane Warren & John Legend
“Drink You Away” — Diane Warren & Ty Dolla $ign
“You Go First” — Diane Warren & James Arthur
“Not Prepared For You” — Diane Warren & Lauren Jauregui
“You Kind Of Beautiful” — Diane Warren & Jimmie Allen
“Domino” — Diane Warren & LP
“Superwoman” — Diane Warren & Celine Dion
“Times Like This” — Diane Warren & Darius Rucker
“Grow Old With Me” — Diane Warren, Leona Lewis & James Morrison
“Blessings” — Diane Warren & Paloma Faith
