(MELBOURNE, Australia) — Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are set to meet again on the court after both women advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Williams, 39, defeated No. 2 seed Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 to reach the next round of the tournament, while Osaka, seeded third, advanced after beating Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2.
The semifinal matchup between Williams and Osaka, 23, will mark the fourth time the two face off against each other. In their three previous matchups, Osaka leads 2-1.
Anthony Harvey – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Two major Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars have broken their silence about disgraced director Joss Whedon, who stands accused of toxic behavior.
David Boreanaz, who played Angel on Buffy and the Angel spinoff series, rallied behind former co-star Charisma Carpenter, who detailed in a lengthy Twitter post the “abuse” she allegedly suffered while working for Whedon.
Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in both Buffy and Angel, issued a statement in support of Justice League actor Ray Fisher who first accused the director of fostering a hostile work environment.
Boreanaz replied to the actress’ post over the weekend — where she accused Whedon of verbal abuse and retaliatory actions — and praised her for coming forward.
“I am here for you to listen and support you. Proud of your strength,” he publicly tweeted out to her, of which Carpenter expressed her gratitude.
“I know you’re there for me, David. I appreciate all you’ve done to demonstrate that support privately as well. Especially since Wednesday,” she replied.
Boreanaz wasn’t the only fan-favorite vampire to publicly side against Whedon — James Marsters, who played Spike, expressed that he is “heartbroken” by the allegations.
“While I will always be honored to have played the character of Spike, the Buffy set was not without challenges,” he tweeted. “I do not support abuse of any kind, and am heartbroken to learn of the experiences of some of the cast. I send my love and support to all involved.”
Marsters and Boreanaz join a growing list of Buffy alums –including Buffy lead Sarah Michelle Gellar — who have voiced support for Carpenter.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s little sister, Dawn, further alleged that Whedon wasn’t allowed to be left alone with her on set.
Anthony Stewart Head, who played Giles, and Eliza Dushku, who played Faith, have also spoken out.
Jason Kempin/ACMA2020/Getty Images for ACMMorgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album has dominated the Billboard200 for a fifth straight week. Not only that, the embattled country singer’s debut album If I Know Me rose to number 10 — which previously peaked at number 13.
Wallen’s Dangerous album sold an additional 37,000 albums over the past week — a nearly 50 percent rise in sales since the last chart was tallied. In addition, his music was streamed 146.38 million times over the past seven days, which is a nine percent drop over the previous week.
Dangerous officially becomes the third album over the past 12 months to top the Billboard 200 for five weeks. The only other two albums to celebrate the accomplishment are Taylor Swift, who saw Folklore hang onto the top spot for eight weeks, and Lil Baby, whose My Turn extended a five-week run at the top.
The last country album to spend its first five weeks atop the Billboard charts was Garth Brooks‘ 1998 effort Double Live.
Wallen became embroiled in controversy earlier this month after a video depicting him shouting racial slurs leaked online. Wallen, 27, was swiftly condemned by his fellow country artists and those who represented him — such as Big Loud Records and WME, who both dropped him as a client.
The “Wasted on You” singer issued a lengthy apology last Wednesday via a five minute video where he accepted responsibility for his actions and asked fans to stop defending his behavior.
“I let so many people down,” said Wallen. “I appreciate those who still see something in me and have defended me. But, for today, please don’t. I was wrong. It’s on me to take ownership of this and I fully accept any penalties I’m facing.”
Wallen also encouraged his followers to “please learn from my mistake.”
ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 40 states are on alert for snow, ice and bitter cold as about 70.4% of the U.S. is covered by snow.
The South is still digging out from snow and ice that hit earlier this week, closing vaccination sites and bringing roads to a standstill — but a second storm is closing in.
Overnight, a storm brought several reported tornadoes to Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. At least three people were killed from the reported twister in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
That same storm is moving through the Northeast Tuesday with ice and snow for inland areas and just mild rain for the Interstate-95 corridor.
Additional snow and ice will hit northern New England where 6 to 10 inches of snow is possible through Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a record-breaking cold snap is slamming the central U.S.
The wind chill — what it feels like — plunged Tuesday morning to minus 12 degrees in Little Rock, Arkansas, minus 11 degrees in Dallas, minus 15 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee and 0 degrees in Austin, Texas.
Early Wednesday morning, a second storm will move into the South, including Dallas, Oklahoma City and Little Rock, bringing more snow and ice.
Three to six inches of snowfall is possible for northern Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Freezing rain and sleet is expected to extend from Dallas to Shreveport, Louisiana, to North Carolina and into Virginia.
By Thursday afternoon and evening, this new storm will reach the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast with ice, snow and heavy rain.
The Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to New York to Boston could see three to six inches of snow before the snow changes to rain.
Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Ryan Reynoldsmarked Deadpool‘s fifth anniversary by sharing an old fan letter and, as a joke, the response he forgot to mail in return.
“Five years later, I’m still in awe of Deadpool fans. Hunter wrote me this letter after #Deadpool came out and somehow my response never got mailed. Holds up. Mostly,” the Golden Globe-nominee tweeted over the weekend.
A fan named Hunter reached out to Reynolds in 2016, calling the first Deadpool film a “picture perfect ‘R’ rated movie” and expressed hope for a sequel.
The fan also admitted the letter was, in actuality, an English assignment, and invited Reynolds out for beers to “talk about all the Francis’s in life.”
Reynolds shared his “response,” which is rife with outdated references, such as poking fun at the prospect of Deadpool joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe owned by Disney.
The 44-year-old actor also shared some fake advice, saying “Commit to one thing. For me, it’s acting. No messing around with random business ventures like other celebs.”
Reynolds now owns stake in Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin and is an investor in the Welsh soccer team, Wrexham Football Club.
On the topic of becoming a connoisseur of gin, Reynolds jokingly wrote in the letter, “Beer is my favorite, and the only alcohol for me.”
Other statements include the actor expressing excitement about investing in the disastrous Fyre music festival, that Tom Brady and New England will always be together, and that he cannot wait to hug fans when Deadpool 3 hits theaters in 2020.
Deadpool went onto become a box office success and released an equally successful sequel in 2018. Fans are anxiously awaiting the third installment, which was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
undefined undefined/iStockBy JEANETTE TORRES-PEREZ, ABC News
