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NBA says Mavs must play national anthem after Mark Cuban ordered a stop

• No Comments • Sports News

Christain Petersen/Getty ImagesBy ALLIE YANG, ABC News

(DALLAS) — A day after Mark Cuban said the national anthem will no longer be played at the Dallas Mavericks’ home games, the NBA said “all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy.”

The Mavericks have not played the anthem before any of its preseason and regular-season games this season, ESPN reported. On Wednesday, the team announced that it would play the anthem before its match up against the Atlanta Hawks.

“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country,” Cuban wrote in a corresponding statement. “But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they have not been.”

Cuban told ESPN in June 2020 that he was “proud” of those taking a knee and said, “Hopefully, I’d join them.”

Cuban has not hidden his thoughts about protests of the national anthem on Twitter.

“The National Anthem Police in this country are out of control,” he tweeted. “If you want to complain, complain to your boss and ask why they don’t play the National Anthem every day before you start work.”

“I can say Black Lives Matter,” he said in another tweet. “I can say there is systemic racism in this country.”

Cuban told ESPN he initially made the decision to stop playing the national anthem after consulting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

NBA rules require players to stand during the national anthem, but Silver has not enforced it, especially as kneeling during the anthem became a popular form of silent protest over the past several years, according to ESPN.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sam Hunt says he has "new songs coming soon"

• No Comments • Country Music News

Steven WorsterSam Hunt is working on new music.

The country superstar shared a photo of himself in the studio on Wednesday with a guitar sitting by his side with the simple caption, “new songs coming soon.” 

Fans flooded the comment section with enthusiasm, many requesting he release the song “23” that he debuted live during his virtual “Red Rocks Unpaused” concert in September. 

The new material Sam has in the works on follows the release of his long-awaited sophomore album, Southside, that dropped last April. It reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and cracked the top five on the all-genre Billboard 200. 

The album features his record-breaking hit “Body Like a Back Road,” along with other chart-topping singles “Kinfolks” and “Hard to Forget.” His current single “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s” is also climbing the charts, sitting inside the top 25 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'Buffy' and 'Angel' star Charisma Carpenter blasts creator Joss Whedon's "abuse"; co-stars come to her support

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Michael Tullberg/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Charisma Carpenter has written a lengthy Twitter post in which she extensively details the “abuse” she says she suffered under creator Joss Whedon while working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel.

And since the post has gone viral, several of her co-stars, including Buffy lead Sarah Michelle Gellar, have voiced their support. 

With the hashtag #ISupportRayFisher, Carpenter explains the Cyborg actor’s complaints of a hostile work environment under Whedon while he was re-shooting Zack Snyder’s Justice League led to her speaking out.

Fisher’s claims “gutted me,” Carpenter admitted. 

She said, “Joss has a history of being casually cruel,” alleging that he “abused his power on numerous occasions…While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to…disempower me, and alienate me from my peers.”

Carpenter declared, “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer,” and added, “I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.”

The actress claims Whedon called her “fat” when she was four months pregnant and “mocked my religious beliefs,” asking “if I was going to keep it,” meaning the baby.

Carpenter also claims she was forced to work late hours against her doctor’s advice as a “retaliatory” measure, even as she began suffering Braxton Hicks contractions, and that she was “unceremoniously fired” the season after she gave birth. 

In response, Gellar posted on Instagram, “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.” Gellar said she stands with “survivors of abuse,” and is “proud of them for speaking out.”

Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s little sister, Dawn, commented, “I am brave enough now…To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior.” The actress added, “What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!”

Amber Benson, who played Tara, also praised Carpenter’s message. She tweeted that Buffy was a “toxic environment” and that “starts from the top.” She also said, “There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.”

Whedon did not respond to ABC Audio’s request for comment.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dolly Parton auctioning off custom guitar for Opry Trust Fund

• No Comments • Country Music News

Chris Hollo/Grand Ole Opry, LLCDolly Parton continues her kindness streak by partnering with the Opry Trust Fund to support musicians in need. 

In collaboration with the Grand Ole Opry, Dolly is auctioning off a signed, custom guitar celebrating one of her signature hits, “9 to 5,” and the Opry’s 95th anniversary.

The acoustic guitar features the song title and number “95” written in vintage bubble letters, alongside a rainbow that’s painted along the body and a butterfly decal on the tip of the tuning keys. 

The money raised from the auction will go to music industry professionals who are struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Established in 1965, the Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $2 million to members of the music industry to assist with a range of expenses, including rent and mortgage bills. 

Dolly will perform on the special, Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music, airing on NBC on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

CMA to provide CMA Fest update in March

• No Comments • Country Music News

Country Music Association The Country Music Association will soon provide an update on this year’s CMA Fest. 

The Nashville-based organization shared on Wednesday that fans can expect to receive an update on the festival next month.

“We know many of you are eager to hear about this year’s CMA Fest. Stayed tuned as we aim to share an update by mid-March,” CMA writes on Instagram, adding, “We miss our country music fans more than you can imagine.”

CMA Fest was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the CMA stating that four-day passes purchased for the 2020 festival would be honored in 2021.

The annual festival takes place across downtown Nashville.  Past performers have included the biggest names in country music, including Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and many more. 

CMA Fest is currently scheduled to take place June 10-13.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.