Month: May 2023

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Ed Sheeran to perform at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards

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The Academy of Country Music announced Tuesday that Ed Sheeran will take the stage at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards), taking place on Thursday, May 11th. Sheeran just released his sixth studio album, Subtract, on Friday. The album features the singles “Eyes Closed” and “Boat.”

Sheeran, 32, will be performing at the annual awards show for the first time this year. In a video, Sheeran said he is “super pumped” to be performing at the ACM Awards: “Who said the Brits don’t have a little bit of country in them? I’m really excited to be at the Academy of Country Music Awards this week. This is the first time that I’ll be performing on it and I am super pumped about it. And I hope to see you there.”

The ACM Awards, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, will take place Thursday at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, and stream at 8 p.m. EDT on Prime Video.

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Dua Lipa and Donatella Versace team up to design summer collection

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Dua Lipa announced she has teamed up with Donatella Versace to create a women’s collection for Versace. The line will make its debut in Cannes, France later this month. Donatella wrote in an announcement post on Instagram: “The news is out! We are excited to announce the Versace “La Vacanza” women’s collection, which we have co-designed. We will be showing the collection on Tuesday 23rd May in Cannes, France. We cannot wait to show you what we have created!​”

Dua said in a statement shared by Versace: “I am absolutely thrilled to have co-designed the women’s “La Vacanza” collection for Versace with Donatella. She and I have formed such a strong bond over the years, and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received from her and the whole team since the very beginning of my career. For her to give me the honor of co-designing this collection and letting all my summer inspirations go wild has been a dream. I am so very proud of this collection and cannot wait to debut it in Cannes.”

Said the legendary Italian fashion designer: “I have always been inspired by a collaborative design process. Working with Dua on this collection has been very exciting and I love the dynamic between us. Dua is strong, fearless, and free and her creative vision is exceptional. Summer is a magical time. We will capture this feeling and the colors of that time of the year with a truly special and intimate fashion show in Cannes.”

Dua and Donatella’s co-designed styles will be available in-store and online at Versace.com immediately following the show in Cannes, taking place on May 23rd.

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Driver charged with manslaughter after 8 migrants killed outside Texas shelter

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The man who drove a vehicle into a group of people near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas on Sunday, killing eight and injuring 10 more, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter. Brownsville Police chief Felix Sauceda said Monday during a news conference that the driver was identified as George Alvarez, a 34-year-old with an extensive rap sheet, including prior charges of assault and driving while intoxicated.

The accident occurred when a group of pedestrians, including several immigrants, were hit by the Land Rover while waiting at a bus stop across the street from the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center, a non-profit homeless shelter helping to house migrants in the border town. The vehicle Alvarez was driving ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit a total of 18 people. Alvarez then tried to flee the scene before he was detained by bystanders. Police charged the suspect on the manslaughter counts as well as 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with his bond was set at $3.6 million. A blood sample was also taken from the driver and a toxicology test will be ordered.

Police say they are still investigating the violent crash, which was captured on surveillance video. The footage shows the vehicle driving at a very high rate of speed and hitting a curb about 30 feet from where the migrants were sitting before the driver appears to lose control.  There were about 20 to 25 migrants sitting on the curb when police reported receiving reports of the crash, according to the shelter’s director. The migrants were from Venezuela and had arrived at the shelter just days ago.

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Suspect arrested in shooting on Dallas train that killed 1, injured 2

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Officials confirmed on Monday that a suspect is in custody after a shooting on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train that killed one person and injured two others.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit assistant vice president Gordon Shattles said in a statement that the shooting happened at about 4:30 p.m. CT on Sunday when two people got into an argument aboard a northbound Green Line train near Hatcher Station.  Two people, including a bystander, were shot and rushed to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas where one of those victims died, according to the transit system (known as DART). It is unclear whether the person who died was involved in the altercation. A third person was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.

In a statement, Gordon Shattles, DART assistant vice president, said a suspect was detained:  “DART Police have apprehended the suspect and recovered the weapon used in the incident.”  The suspect, whose name was not immediately disclosed, has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Hatcher Station is about 30 miles south of the Allen Premium Outlets, just north of Dallas, where eight people were fatally shot Saturday afternoon before police killed the gunman.

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‘TODAY’ announces 2023 Citi Concert Series with Jonas Brothers, Niall Horan and more

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NBC’s Today Show is once again launching their Citi Concert Series at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC this summer.

The Jonas Brothers will kick off the 2023 Citi Concert Series on Friday, May 12th, with the summer’s roster featuring performances by Niall Horan, Big Time Rush, Chance the Rapper, Kim Petras, Karol G, TWICE, Dan + Shay, Reneé Rapp, Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Batiste and more. Additional performances to be announced in the coming weeks.

To attend the concerts, viewers can register for Fan Passes at TODAY.com/Concerts. Fan Passes give fans priority access to the show, ahead of general admission. If you do not receive a Fan Pass, you can still join the general admission line (located at 48th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City) on the morning of the concert, and those fans will be admitted if space permits.

See the full 2023 Citi Concert Series lineup – here.

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Taylor Swift announces ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ to drop July 7

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Taylor Swift announced on social media she will release Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on July 7th. The newly recorded edition will include 22 songs with six previously unreleased ‘Songs From the Vault,’ as well as a collectible lyric booklet with never-before-seen photos on CD, 3 LP, double cassette and digital. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) follows Red (Taylor’s Version), and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) — which broke records upon its release.

Swift tweeted: “It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk )😆). I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing… and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I’ve sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with you on July 7th.”

The collectible CD will feature unique front and back cover art with disc art. The LP set will feature a collectible album jacket with unique front and back cover art across three unique violet marbled color vinyl discs. The cassette will feature two purple cassette shells.

To pre-order Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), head here.

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7 killed, driver arrested after car runs into crowd near Texas migrant center

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Senior law enforcement officials confirmed that seven people — believed to be migrants — who were waiting at a bus stop in a Texas border city were killed, and a dozen more were injured when a vehicle rammed into them early Sunday. The incident occurred at a stop near a Catholic Charities facility in Brownsville known as the Ozanam Center.

Authorities initially believed it was an intentional act; however, they later said it was unclear whether it was intentional or not — and that the investigation into the motive is ongoing.  In an interview, Brownsville Lt. Martin Sandoval also said that police were also looking into whether the driver was intoxicated or whether the incident was an accident, but said the driver, a Hispanic male, has refused to cooperate with investigators.  Said Sandoval: “he has given us several names,” adding that authorities are waiting for a fingerprint match they hope will identify the driver, who has been charged with reckless driving. Sandoval said more charges are likely, and that the FBI is assisting Brownsville police in the investigation.

The Brownsville Fire Department said on its official Facebook page that ambulances took 11 people injured in the crash at 8:30 a.m. to local hospitals; and one of the injured was airlifted to Valley Baptist Medical Center in nearby Harlingen.

Brownsville is one of the border cities that is already seeing a surge in migrants trying to cross into the U.S. from Mexico before the Title 42 immigration program ends Thursday.  The Covid ban, imposed in the last year of the Trump administration, has turned migrants back to Mexico more than 2.5 million times since it went into effect in March 2020.

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Suspect identified in shooting at Texas outlet mall that killed eight

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On Sunday, the suspected gunman involved in the mass shooting at an Allen, Texa outlet mall that killed eight (including the shooter) was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia — described as a neo-Nazi sympathizer who lived in Dallas. CNN reported that Garcia used an AR-15-style weapon based on photos obtained from the scene. He also had a handgun and was reportedly wearing a tactical vest with a “right-wing acronym” patch on his chest.

The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets mall, about 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. Witnesses said that they saw the shooter near a Fatburger restaurant at the mall. The Allen Police Department said one of its officers was responding to an unrelated call nearby when they heard the gunfire. The officer “engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat.”mIn a news conference, Allen Fire Department Chief Jonathan Boyd said nine people were transported to area hospitals for treatment. Two later died, leaving three in critical condition and four stable. Medical City Healthcare said it received eight of the victims, ranging in age from 5 to 61 years old.

Garcia was living in a motel and working as a security guard at the time of the shooting, sources told CBS Texas. He did not have a serious criminal record; and authorities raided a house late Saturday night in Dallas that belonged to the gunman’s parents.

President Biden on Sunday ordered all flags at the White House and at public buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence.”  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox News on Sunday that the state was working to address the “root cause” of the anger and violence that the country is facing:  “People want a quick solution, the long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue.”

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Bebe Rexha and Dolly Parton team up for the duet, “Seasons”

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Pop star Bebe Rexha, 33, has teamed up with country legend Dolly Parton, 77, for the song ‘Seasons,’ off Bebe’s third studio self-titled album, Bebe.  Said Rexha on social media: “IT’S TIME!!!! Seasons music video with @dollyparton and my album #BEBE is OUT EVERYWHERE!! love u allll 💋”

Bebe told Rolling Stone that she drew inspiration from Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” while writing songs for Bebe. For Seasons, co-written with Ido Zmishlany and Sarah Solovay, Rexha said: “I was like, ‘Guys, I want to write a song about knowing that you need to change, but you’re not changing. And I just started singing: ‘The seasons change right under my feet. I’m still the same, same, same, same old me.’ That’s how it all started.”  Rexha also felt the song would be better as a duet, and knew she wanted to enlist Parton. Said Bebe: “My grandmother used to play Dolly all the time. Nothing really excites my grandmother, to be honest, and when I told her about Dolly, she was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.” I mean, Dolly Parton is an icon. She is not only one of my favorite artists, but one of my favorite songwriters. She wrote ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston, and she has her version as well “So, I always looked up to Dolly Parton like, wow, not only is she a bad b***h, she looks good, she can sing like crazy, but she’s writing all these incredible records, and she’s also a boss… I just even, to this moment, the fact that I have a song with Dolly is just like, I can’t grasp it.”

Along with the track, Rexha debuted a black-and-white music video, which features her and Parton singing the song together, side by side. Rexha said of Parton: “I was shaking, but she made me feel so comfortable and said that she was going to adopt me. I’m waiting for those papers!”  Take a look at the official music video for “Seasons” – here.

To stream Bebe, head here.

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Rihanna to star as “Smurfette” in new ‘The Smurfs’ film

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Rihanna will star in the forthcoming animated The Smurfs movie, set to premiere in 2025. Rihanna is set to voice “Smurfette” for the new, live-action feature from the animated franchise. Per Variety, Rihanna will also write and record original songs, and produce the soundtrack for the film.

Riri made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where she took the stage to announce her role. Rihanna joked:  “I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out. Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I’m usually front and center with everything with my likeness…but this was fun, I got to imagine, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester, and be a blue badass.”  She also hoped that her role in the film would make her children look at her in a different light: “I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day.”

Rihanna previously starred in DreamWorks’ animated feature Home as the voice of Gratuity. That film grossed over $380 million worldwide at the box office.  ‘The Smurfs’ film is set to premiere in theaters on Valentines Day 2025.

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