Month: November 2021

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Taylor Swift, Saweetie announced as upcoming musical guests on ‘Saturday Night Live’

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Saturday Night Live revealed its full November lineup, which will feature Taylor Swift returning to the show and Saweetie making her SNL ‘musical guest’ debut. Check out the announcement on social media – here.

November’s run of shows will kick off this Saturday, Nov. 6, with Succession star Kieran Culkin hosting and Ed Sheeran making his third appearance as musical guest. Swift will be performing on SNL for the fifth time when she takes the stage Nov. 13 to promote the upcoming “Taylor’s Version” release of her 2012 classic, Red.  Swift last appeared on the show in October 2019.  Saweetie will perform as musical guest for the first time on SNL’s Nov. 20 episode.

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Post Malone & The Weeknd tease their collaboration “One Right Now” set to drop Friday

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Post Malone and The Weeknd both took to their Instagram accounts to tease a new single. The file in the Instagram post is named “PM&TW-ORN-Update.5.nonhyped.w1.mp3,” which had fans speculating that the track’s initials will be ‘ORN.’

Post Malone’s manager Dre London also posted the song, and his caption confirmed the news, saying: “What I couldn’t wait to tell the🌎This Friday!! I’m excited for u to finally here what I been talking about!! @postmalone & @theweeknd ‘One Right Now’ 🔥🔥🔥 #DreVision in full effect!! #Shutdown Ting!!! Crazy Movie🎥 Video comes next week!!!

“One Right Now” will be out on Friday, Nov. 5th.   Listen to a tease of the new song: here.

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CDC advisory unanimously recommends Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel unanimously recommended on Tuesday that children between ages 5 and 11 receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The final decision regarding when children will be able to receive the vaccine could happen as soon as Wednesday, and rests with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “Today is a monumental day in the course of this pandemic,” Walensky told the panel, adding, “The chances a child will have severe COVID, require hospitalization or develop a long term complication like MIS-C remains low but still the risk remains too high and too devastating to our children and far higher for many other diseases for which we vaccinate our children.”

The Food and Drug Administration signed off last week on Pfizer’s vaccine for younger children after a recommendation from its advisory panel. The proposed dose for younger children is a third of the dose given to recipients over age 12. The children would receive two shots three weeks apart.

Emergency use authorization for child doses would give Pfizer’s vaccine a head start over the other two available vaccines in the United States, from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Those companies are still studying the effects of their vaccines in younger children. Researchers found no serious side effects related to the child doses of Pfizer’s shot. Usual side effects include headache and fatigue.

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U.S Justice Department sues against Penguin Random House’s acquisition of Simon & Schuster

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On Tuesday, the U.S Justice Department sued against Penguin Random House’s planned acquisition of one of its main competitors, Simon & Schuster. The Biden administration said the acquisition would enable the publishing company to “exert outsized influence over which books are published in the United States and how much authors are paid for their work.”

Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the world, promised earlier this year to allow Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster editors to bid against each other post-acquisition. However, the Justice Department believes the proposed merge would cut back on “this important competition” and result in lower advances for authors. Attorney General Merrick Garland said: “The complaint filed today to ensure fair competition in the U.S. publishing industry is the latest demonstration of the Justice Department’s commitment to pursuing economic opportunity and fairness through antitrust enforcement.”

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department’s complaint said that if Penguin Random House acquires Simon & Schuster for a proposed $2.18 billion, it would put the former in control of close to half of the publishing market for top-selling books. In response to the lawsuit, the two publishing companies said they planned to fight the lawsuit.

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Ed Sheeran given the ‘all clear’ to perform on Saturday Night Live after COVID-19 quarantine

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Ed Sheeran said on Tuesday that he’s completed his COVID-19 quarantine after testing positive for the virus, and will be able to perform on this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” as planned.

The 30-year-old singer said  on social media: “Posting this pic to say I’m released from covid isolation today, so if you see me out and about I’ve had the all clear and done my quarantine. Excited to hit the ground running with work again, and SNL is still on, so tune in Saturday, see you there x.” 

Sheeran announced Oct. 24 that he tested positive for COVID-19, posting at that time: “Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines. It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone.”

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Cardi B announced as host of the 2021 American Music Awards

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Cardi B will host the 2021 American Music Awards, marking the first time the 29-year-old rapper has hosted the AMAs. The 49th annual awards show will be held on Nov. 21 in Los Angeles. The AMAs posted on social media confirming the news, with the caption: “We wanna party with Cardi, so we asked her to be our host and she said YES! Get ready for @iamcardib as she hosts the #AMAs Sunday, Nov 21 at 8/7c on ABC. #CardiAMAs

Cardi B said in a statement: “When I received the invite to host the AMAs, I was so excited. I’m ready to bring my personality to the AMAs stage! Thank you to Jesse Collins, ABC and MRC for making this happen.”  Executive producer Jesse Collins added: “We are immensely excited to have the dynamic Cardi B bring her infectious energy to the American Music Awards as a first-time host. She will excite the viewers, push the limits and deliver a show that will be remembered forever!” 

Cardi B is a five-time AMAs winner, who performed at the show in 2018.  The AMAs will air Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Olivia Rodrigo leads the nominees with seven, followed by The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Doja Cat and Giveon.

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Jury phase in murder trial of shooter Kyle Rittenhouse begins in Kenosha, Wisconsin

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The murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse began Monday with the start of jury selection, however the process of selecting 12 impartial jurors could be difficult due to the high-profile nature of the case.

Rittenhouse shot two men dead and injured a third, during anti-racism protests in Kenosha, Wis., last year, Demonstrators were protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020 when the then-17-year-old Rittenhouse shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz, now 27. He faces charges of criminal homicide for the deaths. Defense attorneys argue that he fired his assault-style rifle in self-defense. Now 18 years old, Rittenhouse has been free since he posted $2 million in bail a year ago. He has pleaded not guilty to felony homicide and misdemeanor charges.

Rittenhouse was arrested a day after the shootings and was indicted as an adult on charges of being a fugitive from justice. Since then, he’s been charged with five felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide, first degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Other charges include misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon under the age of 18 and non-criminal violation of failure to comply with an emergency order.  In his defense, Rittenhouse’s attorney has argued that he left his home across the border in Illinois and traveled to Kenosha to protect businesses during the protests. fearing for his life.

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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin refuses to endorse $1.75T social spending bill

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On Monday, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he will continue to withhold his support for a $1.75 trillion social spending package backed by President Joe Biden and Democratic progressives. Manchin diminished hopes that he would support Biden’s historic ‘Build Back Better’ social safety net plan during a Capitol Hill press conference.

Manchin told reporters: “As more of the real details outlined in the basic framework are released, what I see are shell games and budget gimmicks that make the real cost of this so-called $1.75 trillion dollar bill estimated to be twice as high if the programs are extended or made permanent.”  The votes of Democratic holdouts Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are necessary to move the spending bill through the Senate on a 50-50 vote via the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process. A standoff has developed between Manchin and progressives in the House Democratic caucus, who are holding up the passage of a companion $1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure bill which Manchin helped negotiate with Senate Republicans.

The president on Thursday announced a “framework” agreement on the re0conciliation bill, which has been greatly pared down due to Manchin’s concerns about its size, however the West Virginia senator remained insistent Monday that the bill is still too big: “Simply put, I will not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact that it will have on our national debt, our economy and most importantly all of our American people. The political games have to stop. Holding this [infrastructure] bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill.”

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Jessica Simpson celebrates four years of sobriety with candid photo on social media

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Jessica Simpson shared a candid photo of herself from four years ago on social media depicting her first day without alcohol, and detailed in an honest, emotional post the way she felt that day as she began her journey to sobriety.

The 41-year-old Simpson wrote on Instagram: “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self-discovery to unlock and explore. I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self-respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity. Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted. I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world.”  Simpson added, “There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self-sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”

In January 2020, Simpson opened up about her alcoholism in her memoir Open Book, saying she hit “rock bottom”on Halloween 2017 — a day where she recounts “zoning out” from drinking and was unable to dress her kids.  She wrote in her memoir: “I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape. I am ashamed to say that I don’t know who got them into their costumes that night.”  The next day she confided in her friends, saying: “I need to stop. Something’s got to stop. And if it’s alcohol that’s doing this and making things worse, then I quit.”

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Adele reveals tracklist for upcoming new album ’30’

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Adele has released the tracklist for her upcoming new album ’30’. The singer-songwriter announced her fourth studio album ’30’ last month after sharing its lead single, ‘Easy On Me’ – her first new song in five years. The new LP is set to arrive on November 19.

Adele has unveiled the tracklist for the album — the standard version of ’30’ will feature 12 songs, while a Target ‘bonus edition’ will have an extra three songs, including a duet with Chris Stapleton.

“Easy on Me” is spending its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also stays at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. Adele’s last album, 2015’s 25, logged 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, won album of the year and best pop vocal album at the 2017 Grammy Awards, and was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.

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