Month: January 2022

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Country Daypop

Trisha Yearwood raises nearly $40K to help rescue animals in honor of ‘Betty White Challenge’

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Fans of Betty White, who passed away at age 99 on New Year’s Eve, have been honoring her memory with the Betty White Challenge, which encouraged fans to donate to animal shelters or animal rights organizations on January 17 — which would have been White’s 100th birthday. White was a passionate advocate for animals, working with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association for over 50 years.

Country star Trisha Yearwood is among those who support the Betty White Challenge. Yearwood is also passionate about animal rights and launched her own charity Dottie’s Yard Fund in 2021, named after her and her husband Garth Brooks’ late dog Dottie. The couple uses their new charity to support other animal shelters around the country.

Yearwood said to People:  “Everybody loves Betty White. I’ve been reading about the influx of donations to pet charities and shelters across the nation since Betty’s passing, and I think she is up there smiling so big that this is how the world is showing her how much we love her. I’m excited to be a part of the Betty White Challenge to help shine a light on the great work that rescues, and shelters do, many with only volunteers and private donations of food, bedding, and time.” She added: “They need our help. The common denominator is love. Betty showed us how. Now we have to keep it up and make sure her legacy lives on. Love all creatures, great and small!” 

Yearwood’s virtual event with ‘Talkshoplive’ raised money for rescue pets around the country, with Yearwood herself announcing she would match up to $10,000 in donations. According to Yearwood’s Twitter, she was able to raise over $24,000 in under 15 minutes, and by the following day on Jan. 18, she had raised over $38,000.

Trisha Yearwood Raises Over $30,000 for Rescue Pets as Part of Betty White Challenge

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Entertainment Daypop

NBC cancels Ellen DeGeneres’ ‘Ellen’s Game of Games’ after four seasons

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NBC has canceled ‘Ellen’s Game of Games’, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, after four seasons. ‘Game of Game’ featured DeGeneres leading contestants through upsized versions of audience games from her daytime talk show.

The cancellation of the NBC series comes as DeGeneres is also working on the final season of her daytime show. The comedian announced last year that she would end The Ellen DeGeneres Show after 19 seasons. “Game of Games” last aired in May 2021.

Ratings for ‘Game of Games’ decreased during 2020-21, particularly after moving to Sunday nights later that season. DeGeneres was twice nominated for Primetime Emmys for outstanding host of a competition show in 2018 and 2019.

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Entertainment Daypop

Daniel Radcliffe to star as Weird Al Yankovic in upcoming biopic

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Daniel Radcliffe will star as “Weird Al” Yankovic for the upcoming biopic, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, that will be available to stream for free on The Roku Channel. Radcliffe will take on the role in a new film focusing on Yankovic’s career as a pop culture parody icon.

An official release of the film says:  “The biopic holds nothing back, exploring every facet of Yankovic’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon’ to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle. WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story takes audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic’s life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time.”

Yankovic said in a statement, “When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule. And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story was written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who is also directing the film. The film’s release date has not been announced, but production begins in Los Angeles in February.

How Weird! Daniel Radcliffe Has Been Cast As Weird Al Yankovic In New Biopic

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News Daypop

Two Marines are killed, seven injured in vehicle rollover at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina

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Two Marines were killed Wednesday in an accident outside Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after a military vehicle rolled over.  The unit confirmed in a tweet that the seven-ton truck was carrying members of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, which is headquartered at Camp LeJeune: “We are working closely with @camp_lejeune and Onslow County officials to gather details regarding this incident. We will release more information as it becomes available.”

The accident occurred around 1 p.m. at the intersection of N.C. Highway 210 and U.S. Route 17. A North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson told the outlet that it’s believed the crash occurred when the driver attempted to make a right turn too quickly and overturned. The truck weighed seven tons and held 19 Marines at the time of the accident.

Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, wrote on social media that he and wife Susan “are praying for the families of the Marines who were tragically killed in an accident at Camp Lejeune, & we are praying for the full recovery of the Marines who were injured. God Bless our service members who put their lives at risk every day to protect our nation.”

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News Daypop

President Biden holds solo formal press conference ahead of 1-year mark in office

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President Joe Biden held a formal news conference at the White House on Wednesday, the eve of the one-year anniversary of his inauguration.  Wednesday’s session marked just the second time Biden has held a solo formal press conference at the White House; the first such news conference was held March 25, 2021.

Biden took questions from reporters on his handling of the pandemic, the economy and legislative agenda, and characterizing the country as unified.  Before fielding questions from reporters, Biden said: “It’s been a year of challenges, but it’s also many years of enormous progress.” 

Biden touted wins over the year, including administering more than 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and hitting record-low unemployment rates in many states — despite Biden’s approval rating in polls hitting an all-time low. In his opening remarks, Biden acknowledged: “Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes. But we’re doing more now. We’ve gone from zero at-home tests a year ago to 375 million tests on the market just this month.” On the subject of COVID-19, Biden said the country is “in a better place than we’ve been and have been thus far” and reiterated his position not to go back to lockdowns and school closures.

When Biden was questioned as to whether he overpromised to the American public what his administration could achieve in office one year in, the President replied:  “Look, I didn’t overpromise. I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen. The fact of the matter is that we’re in a situation where we have made enormous progress.”  He then acknowledged: “One thing I haven’t been able to do so far, is get my Republican friends to get in the game of making things better in this country. I did not anticipate that there’d be such a stalwart effort to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn’t get anything done.”

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Country Daypop

Dolly Parton shares the song ‘Big Dreams and Faded Jeans’s and announces new LP

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Country icon Dolly Parton surprised fans with the release of a brand new song, “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans,” a track from her upcoming collection of songs which will serve as the companion album to her novel, Run, Rose, Run.

Written by Dolly herself, Parton said of the new song: “Whether they’re running from anything or not, they’re running towards a future. That’s what ‘Big Dreams and Faded Jeans’ is all about. I am so pleased to finally share the first song from this exciting new album with all of you!”   You can listen to the new track – here.

Run, Rose, Run (the album) includes 12-tracks, and is set to drop just days before the novel’s release on March 4. It will be available on all digital streaming platforms, and for digital download, as well as in CD, standard vinyl and some special vinyl color variant.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Zac Brown Band hitting the road for 2022 ‘Out in the Middle Tour’

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Zac Brown Band will kick off the 34-date North American Out in the Middle Tour on April 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.  The 2022 Out in the Middle Tour will wrap up Nov. 19 at Phoenix’s Chase Field, and will include stadium shows in Frisco, Texas, and Akron, Ohio.  Caroline Jones, who performed as a special guest with Zac Brown Band during The Comeback Tour, will be returning; and the Robert Randolph Band will open the majority of shows (other supporting acts are TBD.)

The Out in the Middle Tour includes stops at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Boston’s Fenway Park, New York’s Citi Field and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl.  Brown said in a statement: “Performing in front of millions of fans around the world is one of the most electrifying and humbling feelings. We’re so excited to go back out on the road and keep the unbelievable momentum going from [2021’s] ‘The Comeback Tour.’ It’s been such an incredible year for the band, debuting some of the best music we’ve ever made, and we are thrilled to continue playing live for our amazing fans.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Jan. 21 at ZacBrownBand.com.

Zac Brown Band Will Play Ballparks on 2022 U.S. Tour

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Entertainment Daypop

Celebrities pay tribute to the late André Leon Talley, former Vogue editor and fashion icon

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The fashion world and celebrities are mourning the loss of André Leon Talley, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 73. Talley died in at White Plains Hospital from an unknown illness; his friend Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “André Leon Talley was a singular force in an industry that he had to fight to be recognized in.”

Talley became the first African American creative director of Vogue in 1988, where he worked closely with editor-in-chief Anna Wintour before departing in 1995. He returned to the publication in 1998 and served as editor-at-large until 2013.

Kim Kardashian posted on her Instagram Story along with photo of herself holding hands with the fashion legend: “Love you Andre,” while Kris Jenner wrote: “I am so saddened to hear of the passing of André Leon Talley. We shared some very memorable times together and I will always remember how kind he was to me and my family.”  Actress Cynthia Erivo posted a video tribute to Instagram of Talley, writing, “A devastating loss for fashion today. Rest In Peace Mr Andre Leon Talley. 🌹”

Fashion icons also paid tribute to Talley. Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg remembered her friend with an Instagram tribute: “Good bye darling André ❤🙏… no one saw the world in a more elegant and glamorous way than you did ❤🙏… no one was more soulful and grander than you were ❤🙏…the world will be less joyful now ❤🙏 I have loved you and laughed with you for 45 years…. I will miss your loud screams and your loyal friendship…I love you soooo much ❤🙏 .”

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Entertainment Daypop

Gaspard Ulliel, ‘Hannibal Rising’ and ‘Moon Knight’ actor, dies at age 37 following ski accident

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French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for his role in the film ‘Hannibal Rising’ and the upcoming Marvel miniseries ‘Moon Knight,’ has died following a skiing accident. Ulliel was 37.

Following reports that Ulliel had been hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a head injury during a collision on the slopes in the Savoie region of France, his agent and family confirmed that he was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble, where he died on Wednesday.  A Disney spokesperson said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our friend and colleague Gaspard Ulliel. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time.”

In his first English-speaking role, Ulliel starred as a young Hannibal Lecter in the feature Hannibal Rising. His final film was the French romantic comedy Sibyl with Virginie Efira and Adèle Exarchopoulos, which competed for Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 2019.  Ulliel was cast in Moon Knight in July 2021, playing Anton Mogart/Midnight Man in the upcoming Disney+ series alongside Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

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News Daypop

House January 6 committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani and three other Trump allies

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On Tuesday, the House select committee investigating the January 6 assault on U.S. Capitol issued subpoenas to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and three others – Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, two lawyers who worked to promote the president’s false claims about the election, as well as Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump White House aide.

The committee is demanding documents and testimony from Giuliani, Ellis, Powell, and Boris Epshteyn, who all challenged the 2020 election results. The panel’s chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement: “the four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes.”

Giuliani, Ellis, Powell, and Boris Epshteyn participated in a November 19, 2020 press conference that featured outlandish claims the election had been stolen and that Trump had won in a “landslide.”

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