Month: January 2021

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Dow jumps 300 points as firms rally against GameStop stock transactions

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300.19 points while the S&P 500 climbed 0.98% and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.50% as U.S. markets rebounded on Thursday.  Brokerage firms took steps to restrict an influx of transactions on heavily shorted stocks, after the stock trading app Robinhood restricted trades involving GameStop, AMC, Blackberry, and Nokia. 

All four stocks plummeted Thursday; they were popular on Reddit r/WallStreetBets, where users banded together to drive up prices of such stocks despite traditional hedge funds that had shorted them. AMC fell 56.63%, GameStop dropped 44.29%, Blackberry fell 41.63% and Nokia slipped 28.4%.

Robinhood said it restricted trading in the stocks “in light of recent volatility” and also updated its instructional tools to help people “educate themselves, including how to make sense of a volatile market.”

Stocks soar as GameStop, AMC get pounded

Via www.foxbusiness.com
U.S. equity markets rallied Thursday as heavy trading in shares of GameStop, AMC and others…
 

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News Daypop

First cases in the U.S. of South African COVID-19 variant reported in South Carolina

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Health officials in South Carolina announced Thursday that they have identified two cases of a COVID-19 variant that emerged recently in South Africa. The two cases are the first found of the mutated virus in the United States. According to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, federal officials identified the B.1.351 variant in adults from the state’s Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions. The patients have not traveled internationally and did not know each other.

Interim DHEC Public Health Director Dr. Brannon Traxler said in a statement, “The arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in our state is an important reminder to all South Carolinians that the fight against this deadly virus is far from over. While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still limited. Every one of us must recommit to the fight by recognizing that we are all on the front lines now. We are all in this together.”

New variants first reported in Britain and South Africa are said to be more transmissible, but most experts have said the available vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna should also be effective against the mutated strains.

First U.S. cases of COVID-19 variant from South Africa found in South Carolina

Via www.cbsnews.com
A new and highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa has been found…
 

Categories
Country Daypop

Kris Kristofferson has officially retired from music

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With no fanfare, actor and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson has officially retired from music. According to a report regarding his estate, Kristofferson – who turns 85 this June – permanently stepped out of the spotlight in 2020. Kristofferson’s estate is now being represented from a management standpoint by Morris Higham Management, and his son, John Kristofferson, is now leading the Kristoffersons’ family businesses — including KK Records, Kristofferson’s indie record label. Tamara Saviano, a longtime friend and colleague, is in charge of public relations. Included in this news release was a note that Kris Kristofferson “officially retired in 2020,” though this announcement about new estate management was the first time the general public is hearing the news. 

Kristofferson put out 17 solo albums and was part of the Highwaymen with Cash, Jennings and Willie Nelson. As an actor, he is well known for his role in the 1976 iteration of A Star Is Born, for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award.

Kristofferson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004. As of 2016, he is a member of the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, and in 2019, he received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association.

Kris Kristofferson has retired

Via www.msn.com
Country music legend Kris Kristofferson quietly retired last year, according to a new press…
 

Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley hoping to bring country musical ‘May We All’ to the big screen

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Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley hopes to bring the country-music musical “May We All” to life as a stage production, as well as a movie version to be developed simultaneously. Kelley and his partners announced they have teamed up with director Andy Fickman for the film version, whose credits include directing and exec-producing CBS’ TV series “Kevin Can Wait” as well as a number of feature films and stage productions.

The stage version was set for a developmental production at Memphis’ Playhouse in the Square in fall 2020, to have been followed by an official Nashville premiere in 2021. However due to the coronavirus pandemic halting live shows, producers decided to move up the film adaptation.

In a synopsis, “May We All” is described as being about “disappearing small-town America as seen through the hopeful eyes of its youth,” with a “fledgling country singer” protagonist who “reluctantly comes home after a rough start in Nashville, ultimately to discover that her roots may take her a lot further than her dreams.” The book for the stage version was being written by Troy Britton Johnson and Todd Johnson.

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley Set To Bring “May We All” Musical Project To The Big Screen

Via www.cmt.com
Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley has expanded his plans for “May We All,” a…
 

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

Take a look at Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the biopic ‘Spencer’

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The first image of Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales has been released for the upcoming biopic, “Spencer.”  The film is currently in production in Germany for a planned release this fall. The photo shows Stewart as the princess, staring out of a window, wearing a black blouse and red jacket, with a black veiled hat. As previously reported, the period piece takes place in the 1990s and will have Stewart playing Diana over the Christmas holiday where she allegedly plotted her divorce from Prince Charles and began planning for a life away from the British royal family.

The synopsis for the film 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 Aug. 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; a bodyguard survived the crash..

Kristen Stewart Dazzles As Princess Diana In New Film ‘Spencer’ — See The Uncanny Resemblance

Via okmagazine.com
The highly anticipated first look of Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the upcoming film…
 

Editorial credit: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Brett Young and Wife Taylor Expecting Baby No. 2

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Brett Young and his wife, Taylor, are expecting their second child. The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, are already parents to a daughter, 1-year-old Presley.

“And then we were 4,” 39-year-old Brett wrote on Instagram. “It seems like just yesterday we found out our little Presley was on her way. We are beyond blessed by this growing little family!”

“Sweet baby, you are already so loved and we cannot wait to meet you!” Taylor, 35, captioned her announcement post. “Baby #2 coming this summer.” People was the first to report the news of the couple’s baby on the way. 

Brett Young, Wife Taylor Expecting Their Second Child

Via tasteofcountry.com
She’s in need of some foolproof morning sickness tips. Continue reading…
 

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Randy Travis and wife Mary appear on Dan Rather’s “The Big Interview”

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Country music icon Randy Travis and his wife Mary appeared on an all-new episode of The Big Interview With Dan Rather for a rare sit-down on Wednesday, January 27. 

Filmed remotely utilizing both Zoom and in-person camera teams, Travis, through his wife, explains his road to recovery and the fight to regain his mobility, speech, and singing seven years after enduring a debilitating stroke; and the couple share their incredible love story and the pivotal moment Mary knew her husband was ready to keep fighting for his life. Travis also reflects on his powerful rendition of “Amazing Grace” at the 2016 Country Music Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.  You can watch a clip of the interview here.

The Big Interview With Dan Rather airs every Wednesday at 8pE/5pP, only on AXS TV. Follow the social conversation on Twitter @axstv and @danrather as well as the hashtag #TheBigInterview.

THE BIG INTERVIEW WITH DAN RATHER Presents a Rare Sit-Down with Country Music Icon Randy Travis and His Wife Mary

Via www.broadwayworld.com
AXS TV presents an all-new episode of the popular celebrity profile series “The Big Interview…
 

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Entertainment Daypop

Pamela Anderson announces marriage to bodyguard Dan Hayhurst on Christmas Eve

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53-year-old Pamela Anderson announced she secretly married her bodyguard, a bodybuilder and fellow Canadian, Dan Hayhurst, in an intimate ceremony on the grounds of her home on Vancouver Island, British Columbia on Christmas Eve, 

The marriage marks the fifth marriage and ninth wedding ceremony in 25 years for Pamela. The actress was previously married to four different men, including first ex-husband Tommy Lee, with whom she shares two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee, 24, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 23. Pamela wore a cream-colored, scrunched cap-sleeve gown with a cathedral-style veil and dark Hunter rain boots, as seen in photos posted by The Daily Mail, which first reported the wedding news. 

Pamela herself did not share photos from her recent wedding to Dan on social media, but she announced she was leaving all social media and published what she said was her last post on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Pamela Anderson is married

Via rss.cnn.com
Pamela Anderson is a married woman.
 

Editorial credit: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

TV and Film icon Cloris Leachman dies at 94

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Cloris Leachman, best known for her role as Phyllis Lindstrom on the 1970s sitcoms “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and its spin-off “Phyllis,” died Wednesday at her home near Los Angeles. She was 94. Her manager, Juliet Green, confirmed Leachman’s death in her sleep from natural causes.

Leachman was primarily a TV actress in the 1950s and the 1960s but appeared in several movies. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 1971’s “The Last Picture Show.” But it was in television that she gained most of her fame, receiving five Emmy nominations – winning two – for her role as Phyllis Lindstrom, Mary Tyler Moore’s landlady and nosy neighbor on CBS’ “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”  and the spin-off series “Phyllis.” She won a Golden Globe for her work on “Phyllis” and she won a total of eight primetime Emmys.

Leachman was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2009, she published “Cloris: My Autobiography.” Leachman was married to director/producer George Englund from 1953 to 1979 and had five children.  In “Cloris,” she talked about her marriage (including her husband’s affair with Joan Collins) and the death of her eldest son, Bryan, as a result of a drug overdose in 1986.

Cloris Leachman, Emmy-Winning Actor and Comedian, Dead at 94

Via www.rollingstone.com
Mary Tyler Moore Show and Young Frankenstein star appeared in TV shows every decade from the…
 

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

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Federal judge temporarily blocks Biden’s 100-day deportation ban

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On Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s 100-day pause on deportations. Federal Judge Drew Tipton granted a temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, which in part cited an agreement between Texas and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that required the agency to consult the state before instituting policy changes.

Judge Tipton explicitly stated his order applies nationwide and effectively directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume deportations for at least 14 days as he considers a broader motion for a preliminary injunction.  He wrote, “The issues implicated by that agreement are of such gravity and constitutional import that they require further development of the record and briefing prior to addressing the merits.”

Last week, Biden halted all deportations to “review and reset enforcement priorities” after the Trump administration instituted a “zero tolerance” policy for undocumented migrants. The order included exceptions for migrants who have engaged in or were suspected of terrorism or espionage or considered a threat to national security as well as allowing the ICE administrator to intervene in individual deportation cases.

Judge temporarily blocks Biden’s plan to halt deportations

Via www.msn.com
The early defeat demonstrates the limits of President Joe Biden’s executive actions, which are…
 

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