Month: November 2024

Categories
Country Daypop

George Strait to receive ‘Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award’ at 2024 CMA Awards

George Strait at the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards - Arrivals at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 6^ 2014 in Las Vegas^ NV

The Country Music Association has announced that the legendary George Strait — “The King of Country” — has been named as the recipient of the 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to Strait during the 58th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, shared: “There have been few other artists as authentically Texas and authentically Country as George Strait, and Country Music fans all over the world have been better for it. As a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and the most nominated artist of all time, he serves as an inspiration and icon to many of the great, new artists we know today. I am thrilled we are awarding him with this deserving honor.”

Throughout his 40-year career, Strait has earned more than 60 No. 1 singles and 33 Platinum or multi-Platinum-selling albums, and is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over 30 years. Strait won the coveted ‘Entertainer of the Year” award at the CMAs three times (1989, 1990, 2013), with 17 wins and 83 nominations – making him the most-nominated artist in CMA history.

Introduced in 2012, the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is given to “an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in country music.” The recognition also takes into account the artist’s “both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation at the highest level.”  Previous Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), Kris Kristofferson (2019), Charley Pride (2020), Loretta Lynn (2021) and Alan Jackson (2022).

The 58th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20 on ABC, and streams the following day on Hulu.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Additional performers join lineup for 58th CMA Awards

Kelsea Ballerini at the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards Arrivals at Allegient Stadium on March 7^ 2022 in Las Vegas^ NV

Te Country Music Association revealed that Kelsea Ballerini, Eric Church, Luke Combs and more artists have joined the star-studded lineup of performers at the 58th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning and Lainey Wilson and airing live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, November 20th from 8-11 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Newly-announced performances will feature Ballerini alongside Noah Kahan, Brooks & Dunn with Jelly Roll, Ella Langley with Riley Green, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves and Bailey Zimmerman. The CMAs previously announced that Chris Stapleton and Post Malone will open the show, with performances by Dierks Bentley (featuring Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes), Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims, and Lainey Wilson.

Legendary country star George Strait will also be honored with the 2024 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 58th CMA Awards will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, November 20, airing live at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC, and available the following day on Hulu.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

See the trailer for Amazon’s ‘Cruel Intentions’ reboot series premiering Nov. 21st

Sarah Catherine Hook at the Platonic Apple+ Series Premiere at the Regal LA Live on May 10^ 2023 in Los Angeles^ CA

Prime Video‘s reboot of Cruel Intentions will premiere with all eight episodes on Thursday, Nov. 21, with the streaming service also releasing the first trailer for the series.

Cruel Intentions reimagines the 1999 film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. Both are modern adaptations of the 18th-century novel ‘Dangerous Liaisons.’

The Amazon reboot “follows the elite students of Manchester College, a Washington, D.C.-adjacent university, where reputation means everything, fraternities and sororities are the gold standard, and two ruthless stepsiblings, Caroline Merteuil (First Kill’s Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (One Night’s Zac Burgess), will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Greek Life system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation – even if that means seducing Annie Grover (the Gossip Girl reboot’s Savannah Lee Smith), the daughter of the Vice President of the United States. Hearts will be broken, loyalties will be tested, and secrets will be revealed in this modern-day royal court that is Manchester College.”

The cast includes Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline, Zac Burgess as Lucien, Savannah Lee Smith as Annie, and Sara Silva as Cece Carroway, with John Harlan Kim, Khobe Clarke, Sean Patrick Thomas and Brooke Lena Johnson also starting.

The series will premiere Nov. 21 on Prime Video; see the Cruel Intentions trailer: HERE.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Conan O’Brien to host the 2025 Oscars

Conan O'Brien at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. September 17^ 2007

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Conan O’Brien will host the 2025 Academy Awards in March, marking his first time hosting the awards show.  O’Brien takes over hosting duties from Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the last two Oscar ceremonies.

The 61-year-old O’Brien jokingly said in a statement: “America demanded it, and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”  O’Brien is no stranger to hosting award shows; he previously hosted the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006, in addition to serving as host of the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang shared: “We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year. He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies, and his live TV expertise. His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best—honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.”

Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan added: “Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host — he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television. We are so looking forward to working with him to deliver a fresh, exciting and celebratory show for Hollywood’s biggest night.”

O’Brien is best known for hosting “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” from 1993-2009 after David Letterman’s departure, and served as host of “Conan” from 2010 to 2021. Most recently, he starred in the travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go” on Max, and he currently hosts the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

The 97th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PT on ABC.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Satire publication The Onion purchases Alex Jones’ Infowars at bankruptcy auction

Cover of the Onion parody news publisher. Calgary^ Alberta^ June 17^ 2022

Satrire publication The Onion purchased Infowars — the Alex Jones right-wing conspiracy theory website — in a bankruptcy auction on Thursday.  About an hour and a half after the announcement of the sale, Infowars’ website was shut down.

The Onion will take control over Jones’ media empire, most notably Infowars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform. Infowars was sold in a bankruptcy auction after Sandy Hook elementary school shooting families won a $1.5 billion judgment against Jones in defamation suits.  Proceeds from the sale will go to pay down a $1.5 billion against Jones for spreading false conspiracy theories that claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook mass elementary school shooting was faked.

Jones confirmed the purchase Thursday on X:  “I just got word 15 minutes ago that my lawyers and folks met with the U.S. trustee over our bankruptcy this morning and they said they are shutting us down even without a court order this morning. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m going to be here until they come and turn the lights off.”  Jones added that security had notified him he has to leave the Infowars premises on Thursday.

The Onion, which often satirized Jones, said they plan to rebuild the Infowars website to feature the work of well-known Internet humor writers and content creators. In a statement on the social media site BlueSky, The Onion CEO Ben Collins said his company has plans for Infowars: “We are planning on making it a very funny, very stupid website. We have retained the services of some Onion and Clickhole Hall of Famers to pull this off. I can’t wait to show you what we have cooked up.” The Onion added that its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Sandy Hook families from Newton, CT filed lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas claiming Jones defamed them on his show and inflicted emotional distress by repeatedly suggesting the shooting, in which a gunman killed 20 first grade children and six adults, was a hoax. Chris Mattei, an attorney for the families, said: “Our clients knew that true accountability meant an end to Infowars and an end to Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale.”  The plaintiffs agreed to forgo a portion of their recovery to boost The Onion’s bankruptcy auction bid, according to attorneys.

Editorial credit: Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

14-year-old boy arrested for allegedly starting forest fire in New Jersey

Wildfire ^ Forest fire. Forest fire in progress. Large flames. 2024.

A 14-year-old has been charged with allegedly starting one of the several wildfires that spread across New Jersey over the last month amid severe drought conditions in the region.

Authorities investigating the cause and origin of the blaze “located evidence that identified this fire as an arson,” the Evesham Township Police said in a statement.

Officers responded to a forest fire in Evesham Township, in the area of Sycamore Avenue near the Berlin Township border in New Jersey on October 30 at approximately 1 p.m.; over the next several days, authorities say the blaze burned 52 acres of land. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service and Evesham Fire Department combatted the flames, with authorities stating that no structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.

Following an “extensive investigation,” the teen — who resides in Marlton, within Evesham Township — was identified as a suspect, police said. The teen was arrested on Nov. 7 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage, and was lodged in the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center pending his first appearance.

Police added that a separate blaze — dubbed the “Bethany Run Wildfire” — began on November 7 in the area of Sycamore Drive, and is also under investigation for possibly being connected to the October 30 blaze. The Nov. 7 fire burned for several days with 375 acres consumed, though no structures were damaged. The investigation into both fires is ongoing.

Editorial credit: Fernando Astasio Avila / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Kelsea Ballerini to embark on 30-city arena tour in 2025

Kelsea Ballerini attends the 9th Annual ACM Honors at the Ryman Auditorium on September 1^ 2015 in Nashville^ Tennessee.

Kelsea Ballerini has announced her 30-city arena tour dubbed ‘Kelsea Ballerini Live on Tour.’

‘Kelsea Ballerini Live on Tour’ kicks off January 21, 2025, at Grand Rapids, MI’s Van Andel Arena and runs through most of America’s rock halls. Serving as support on tour will be MaRynn Taylor and Maisie Peters.

Ballerini shared in an Instagram post, writing, “this ain’t my first rodeo (but it IS my first arena tour!!!!!!) i genuinely can’t wait to be back on the road with you in 2025 and sing our lil hearts out together. sign up now for early access to tickets at kelseaballerinilive.com…pre-sales start oct 29, tickets on sale nov 1. fan club, check your emails for your pre-sale info.”

Ballerini is donating one dollar from every ticket sold to her Feel Your Way Through Foundation with a commitment to supporting mental health charities, FYWT was designed to lessen the stigma around the conversation of mental health, as well as find a way to get people the tools they need to get help they may not have access to currently.

Tickets are on sale now; for information, head to:  www.axs.com.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Maddie & Tae announces 2025 Love & Light Tour

Madison Marlow^ Taylor Dye^ Maddie and Tae at the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 7^ 2019 in Las Vegas^ NV

On the heels of wrapping their headlining “Here’s To Friends” tour, Maddie & Tae are announcing an exclusive run of five shows dubbed the Love & Light Tour, taking place Spring 2025. The  duo will take the stage in New York City, Chicago, Nashville, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Maddie & Tae announced that the run of shows will kick off April 10 in New York City, followed by shows in Chicago (April 25), Nashville (May 1), Denver (May 9) and Los Angeles (May 15).  They shared: “We are so stoked to announce our Love & Light Tour for Spring 2025,” the duo said. “Five cities, five magical nights singing songs that are fan favorites and ones that are hot off the press! Can’t wait to see y’all!”

Tickets are on sale now; for information, head to: maddieandtae.com/tour.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

CBS to air ‘Making of Gladiator II’ special on Nov. 18

Paul Mescal arrives for the Independent Spirit Awards on March 04^ 2023 in Santa Monica^ CA. LOS ANGELES - MAR 04

CBS will present The Making of Gladiator II, a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of Paramount Pictures’ feature film, Gladiator II, from director Ridley Scott.

Gladiator II is the sequel to the iconic Oscar Best Picture-winning 2000 film Gladiator, with the sequel led by a cast including Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen reprising her role from the original film, and Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington.

An official synopsis for the sequel film reads:  “Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”

The special will give fans a never-before-seen look at the making of the film. This inside look offers unprecedented access encompassing all aspects of production, from the grand scope of the set – including reconstructing Ancient Rome – to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring, and more.

The Making of Gladiator II will air on Monday, Nov. 18 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

Gladiator II will open in theaters on November 22.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Entertainment Daypop

Craig Melvin to replace Hoda Kotb as co-anchor of NBC’s ‘Today’ show

Craig Melvin attends National Board of Review Gala 2022 at Cipriani 42nd street. New York^ NY - March 15^ 2022

NBC News anchor and broadcast journalist Craig Melvin will replace Hoda Kotb as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show, taking over for Kotb following her departure on Jan. 10. Melvin, 45, will co-anchor the program alongside Savannah Guthrie.

Today’s senior vice president, Libby Leist, in a statement: “He’s been an integral and beloved part of our family. From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at Today. And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”

The 14-year NBC veteran said after the on-air announcement: “I am beyond excited and grateful. I’ve had a lot of conversations yesterday with a lot of people who mean a lot to me. I want to thank NBC and the folks who deemed me worthy, but I’ve got to start by thanking the man upstairs, the Lord above and his son, Jesus. I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings.”

Melvin has co-anchored the weekend edition of Today and currently co-hosts the third hour of the Today show, in addition to news-anchoring earlier broadcasts of the show.  He will co-host the Today show with Guthrie for the 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. hours (beginning Jan. 13) and will remain a co-host during the third hour. Today’s fourth hour, which is currently co-hosted by Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, will be rebranded as ‘Today with Jenna & Friends’ beginning Jan. 13.   The show will welcome a rotating cast of personalities to helm the show with Bush Hager until a permanent cohost is found.

Kotb announced she was leaving the Today Show in September, releasing a statement confirming that she’d step down from the show to spend more time with her family: “as I write this, my heart is all over the map,” she wrote in a letter to the show’s staff. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com