Month: March 2023

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News Daypop

FBI says 4 Americans missing after they were kidnapped in Mexican border city

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The FBI said that four U.S. citizens have been kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros. The four Amricans had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday and were travelling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. U.S. officials also confirmed on Monday that a Mexican citizen was killed in the incident.

Matamoros is home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel, and the U.S. Consulate issued an alert about shootouts there on Friday were so bad that local authorities warned people to shelter in place. The alert reminded U.S. citizens that this part of Mexico is a “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” which is the highest-level warning in the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory system.

The FBI San Antonio Division office said in a statement Sunday that the vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico: “All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of the culprits.” A post on Twitter appears to show the moment they were kidnapped, with one woman, walking on her own, forced into a white pickup truck. Men armed with guns and wearing bulletproof vests are then seen dragging one person after another into the vehicle. The video posted online appears to show some of them may be injured, but their conditions of the four remain unknown.

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement that the Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint and that an “innocent” Mexican citizen died in the attack. He said various U.S. justice agencies were working with their Mexican counterparts to recover the missing U.S. citizens, but did not provide further details.  Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that the Americans had crossed the border to buy medicine and ended up caught in the crossfire between two armed groups.

Editorial credit: Roberto Galan / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Justin Moore shares title track to new album “Stray Dog”

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Justin Moore is sharing the title track to his new album ‘Stray Dog’ due out on May 5. The eight-track project includes his duet with Priscilla Block “You, Me, and Whiskey,” as well as a collaboration with Riley Green on “Everybody Get Along.”  ‘Stray Dog’ also includes the song “With A Woman You Love,” written about Moore’s wife, Kate, whom he wed in 2007.

Says Moore of the new LP: “A long time ago I decided I wasn’t going to play games or pursue things that didn’t make me happy. Perhaps that’s made me a bit of an outsider in this industry, but it’s also what allows me to go to bed each night feeling good about what I’m doing.”

Moore co-wrote the song ‘Stray Dog’ with Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana and Jeremy Stover. Said Moore: “It’s a really personal, autobiographical song. I’ve never just gone along with the crowd. I’ve always tried to follow my heart and let the chips fall where they may, and I’m really proud of that.”

Take a look at the video for “Stray Dog” – here.
Pre-order the album ‘Stray Dog’ – here.

Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Take a listen to the fan-favorite single from Luke Combs, ‘Joe’

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Luke Combs has officially released the fan-favorite single “Joe” off his forthcoming Gettin’ Old. Combs dedicates the ballad to those who have struggled with alcoholism and those who are sober.

Says Combs of the track: “There have been some folks in my family that have struggled with alcoholism and addiction through the years, l’ve got buddies who live a sober lifestyle, and I’m sure y’all know someone who has struggled with these type of things, or maybe you, yourself do. This song (‘Joe’) is really important to me for that reason. Our genre has so many songs about drinking and partying, hell, I’m probably one of the worst culprits of it. There’s nothing wrong with that I don’t think, but sometimes I wonder what someone in the crowd who doesn’t drink, or struggles with addiction is thinking or feeling when there’s thousands of people around them screaming ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ or ‘1, 2 Many.’ I’ve always wanted a song for those people to have for themselves. To have a song they can sing at the top of their lungs and feel like they’re not forgotten. When Erik Dylan sent me the work tape of this a few years back, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. So if you’re reading this and this song speaks to you, I hope you love it. This one’s for you.”

Combs’ LP Gettin’ Old will be released on March 24th, and features 18 new songs. He will also be kicking-off his massive World Tour this March with 16 North American stadium shows including Arlington, TX’s AT&T Stadium; Nashville’s Nissan Stadium; and Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium. In total, the tour is comprised of 39 shows across three continents and 16 countries, with shows in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Belgium. The tour is the largest ever for a country artist.

Take a listen to “Joe” – here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

‘Creed III’ sets franchise box office record with $58M opening

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‘Creed III’, the latest installment in the Rocky Balboa spin-off saga, earned $58.7 million at the domestic box office in its weekend debut. The film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan alongside Jonathan Majors, set a franchise record after opening to rave reviews.

MGM’s head of distribution Erik Lomis told the Associated Press: “This is beyond all of our expectations. And we knew that we had something special — we tested the movie and it tested great, but the public responded so resoundingly to it  Everything went right here starting with the movie itself … It was just up to us not to break it when they gave it to us and we didn’t.”

‘Creed III’ also knocked reigning box office No. 1 ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ out of the top spot. The Marvel action film saw a 61% decline in its third weekend after taking in around $12 million. Following closely behind is Elizabeth Banks’ action-comedy ‘Cocaine Bear’, starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Keri Russell, and Alden Ehrenreich, which grossed $11 million after a 53% drop from its $23 million opening weekend.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Rachael Ray ending her syndicated talk show after 17-season run

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Syndicated daytime talk show “Rachael Ray” will end after 17 years. Ray shared in a press release: “In my more than 20 plus years in television I have had 17 wonderful seasons working in daytime television with ‘Rachael.’ However I’ve made the decision that’s it’s time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast career. My passions have evolved from the talk show format production and syndication model to a platform unencumbered by the traditional rules of distribution.”

Ray recently launched Free Food Studios, a new production company with the mission to distribute Ray’s “in the kitchen content.”  Ray partnered with longtime collaborator Brian Flanagan, and his partners at Intentional Content, Anthony Amoia and Sean Lee. The platform will also develop new upcoming new talent.

Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures, added: “When Rachael debuted her show 17 years ago, she was a gamechanger in the daytime space. She made cooking accessible to the masses, taught viewers simple solutions on how to improve their lives and coaxed great stories out of celebrity guests with her relatable down-to-earth demeanor. We’re proud to have produced such a successful show with Rachael and her team for so many years. We’ll miss Rachael on the air every day, but we’ll always be family.”

“Rachael Ray” debuted in national syndication Sept. 18, 2006  In its 17 seasons, it earned 37 Daytime Emmy nominations, and won 3 Emmys for ‘Outstanding Talk Show.’

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

5 people shot in altercation near gun buyback event at Los Angeles beach

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Five people were injured in a shooting at a Los Angeles beach, just a few miles from where city officials had hosted a gun buyback event earlier in the day.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department and City Councilmember Tim McOsker, the LAPD’s Harbor Division responded to a radio call of a shooting at Royal Palms Beach around 5:45 p.m. Saturday.  The LAPD said in a statement on Sunday that ‘five male Hispanic victims were at a barbeque, at the beach, with a group of approximately 10-20 people.’  Two suspect approached the group and got into a physical altercation, and ‘the suspects then produced a handgun and fired multiple rounds, striking the victims. The suspects then fled the location in a vehicle.’  Five victims were struck by gunfire, and the police said that the “last information we received was two victims are in critical condition, two victims are in serious condition and one victim is in stable condition.”

A joint statement by McOsker and Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, read: “We’re outraged and saddened by the shooting at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro that has left 5 people injured. It’s tragically ironic that today we hosted a gun buy-back event just a few miles away from this location. Gun violence is wreaking havoc on our community … Royal Palms Beach will be closed Sunday and will close earlier on weekends as city officials work on plans to ensure safety and peaceful community use.”

Editorial credit: David A Litman / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Pres. Biden visits Selma, AL to make case for voting rights on anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

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President Joe Biden traveled to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 58th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Biden spoke at the Edmund Pettus Bridge — where in 1965 hundreds of civil rights marchers were attacked by police. Met by public outrage, the event marked a turning point and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Biden has spoken on voting rights often, and in his most recent State of the Union address he said: “In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy.”

Said Biden in his remarks at the bridge: “They forced the country to confront the hard truth and to act to keep the promise of America alive.”   The president said he believed voting is a “fundamental right,” but remains under assault decades later from conservative Supreme Court justices, state lawmakers and election deniers. Biden repeated his plea for Congress to pass new voting legislation named for the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who was beaten and suffered a skull fracture during “Bloody Sunday.” Democrats attempted last year to update the 1965 Voting Rights Act with a bill named after Lewis, but failed to gain enough support to break the Senate filibuster.

Biden ended his speeches saying “extremism will not prevail …. Silence, as the saying goes, silence is complicity. And I promise you, my administration will not remain silent. I promise you.” The president then marched across the bridge with civil rights advocates after his speech, the first time he did so since entering the White House.

Editorial credit: Michael Scott Milner / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Ashley McBryde releases the single ‘Light On In The Kitchen’

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Ashley McBryde has shared her latest single, “Light on in the Kitchen,” which McBryde co-wrote with Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander. McBryde posted on Instagram: “I’m noticing now how big a difference such seemingly small comforts have made in my life. Things as simple as “sure honey” from a voice I need to hear it from, or just walking into the kitchen for a drink in the middle of the night. How comforting that warm glow has always been… Leave a light on y’all. Big hugs. #LightOnInTheKitchen”

Says McBryde of the song: “While writing this, we were all able to look back and remember the women in our lives who comforted us, gave us advice and made sure we knew we had a place to go. Writing this song showed me how necessary that simple comfort had been …“I sent it to the important women in my life, and they reminded me that they still leave the kitchen light on for me, just like when I was growing up,” she adds. “Knowing someone, somewhere is thinking of you in that way can get you through a lot. And it’s a bonus that now we get to say, ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m thinking of you’ by saying ‘The light’s on for ya.’”

“Light on in the Kitchen” is the lead single from McBryde’s upcoming fifth studio album. The as-yet-untitled project is the follow-up to her 2022 concept record Lindeville, and 2020’s Never Will. 

To download “Light on in the Kitchen”, head here.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Ruston Kelly shares video for his new song “Mending Song”

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Ruston Kelly will release his new album, “The Weakness,” set for release on April 7th.  Earlier in the year, Kelly released the title track, and now he’s sharing his latest cut from the album “Mending Song.”

“Mending Song” was the first track Kelly wrote for The Weakness, and it came together during Kelly’s solo trip to Joshua Tree in California. Said Kelly: “I rented this little cabin out on 22 acres, just me and the coyotes, and ended up checking out a shop nearby and buying a baritone ukulele … I remember thinking, ‘This is so stupid — I’m trying to be that guy, going out to some cabin and writing my opus. Why don’t I just have some fun?’”

Kelly has also released the video for “Mending Song”, which was directed, produced, and edited by Bella Mazzola. Watch and listen to “Mending Song” – here.

Pre-order “The Weakness” – here.

Ruston Kelly Retreats from Darkness in New “Mending Song”: Stream

Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove to star in Netflix’s ‘Mother of the Bride’

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Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove and Benjamin Bratt have signed on to star in the Netflix romantic-comedy, Mother of the Bride. Sheilds wrote on Instagram: “Hoping my future mother of the bride duties are far less dramatic than this. So excited to get to work on #MotherOfTheBride.”

Netflix said in a press release about the film: “When Lana’s daughter Emma returns from a year abroad in London, she drops a bombshell on her mother: she’s getting married. On an island. Next month! Things only get worse when Lana discovers that the mystery man who stole her daughter’s heart just so happens to be the son of the man who broke hers years ago.”

Director Mark Waters (“He’s All That,” “Mean Girls”) — is directing the project, from a script written by Robin Bernheim (of ‘The Princess Switch‘ film franchise).

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com