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Thomas Rhett takes Instagram hiatus for a break from “negativity” in the comments section

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABCThomas Rhett will be taking some time over the holidays to tune out social media.

The singer garnered some blowback on Instagram recently after posting snapshots of a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The photos showed Thomas and his wife Lauren enjoying the beautiful beaches and even making friends with a sea lion.

However, all some of his followers saw was a reckless trip during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Per CMT, commenters criticized Thomas for his “tone deaf” post, opining that he was flaunting his “pandemic privilege” at a time when many of his fans are struggling to make ends meet and staying home to stop the spread of the virus.

After this “vacation shaming,” the singer decided to take a step back from his social media, explaining in his Instagram stories that he planned to take a break.

“Gonna hop off Instagram for a while,” Thomas wrote. “Too much negativity on an app that I spend too much time on. I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy holiday.”

After his holiday break, the singer is likely to return with a busy year ahead. He’s been hinting at plans for a new album, and “What’s Your Country Song,” the lead single from that as-yet-unannounced project, recently broke into country radio’s Top 20.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'CMA Country Christmas' will return for an encore broadcast on Saturday night

• No Comments • Country Music News

Katie KaussIn case you missed it the first time the show aired, CMA Country Christmas will return to ABC tomorrow night.

The show offers festive favorites from the likes of Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Lady A and Gabby Barrett. Meanwhile, Tim McGraw and Darius Rucker both lean into the faith-filled side of the holiday season, with Darius joining forces with renowned violinist Lindsey Stirling.

Florida Georgia Line performs their original tune, “Lit This Year,” while Dan + Shay also offer up a new-to-2020 song they wrote called “Christmas Isn’t Christmas.” Thomas Rhett also takes the stage to sing, as well as hosting this year’s CMA Country Christmas alongside his wife, Lauren Akins.

You can also check out the show’s blooper reel, featuring some hilarious hosting outtakes from Thomas and Lauren.

The show first broadcast on November 30. You can catch the encore broadcast on Saturday, December 21 at 10PM ET on ABC.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank explain why their grown-folks thriller 'Fatale' is "authentic" and "fascinating"

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Photo credit: Scott Everett White(LOS ANGELES) — Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank say they both took on characters that pushed their limits as actors in the Deon Taylor-directed film, Fatale.

In the new thriller, Ealy plays Derrick Tyler, a sports agent who becomes the target of a troubled police detective, played by Swank. Ealy tells ABC Audio that he and Swank both brought their A-game to the film.

“It just felt more authentic in that way… like we kind of raised the bar a little bit with Fatale,” he says. “And I was very, very proud to be a part of this.”

Swank agrees, nothing that although she starred in previous thrillers, she’s never done one like this before.

“[My character] was complex and she’s so multi-faceted and fascinating and I just thought, breaking this down and figuring this out would be really fun,” she says.

However, even though their “authentic” and “fascinating” characters were the main draw, Swank and Ealy acknowledge that Taylor’s enthusiasm for the project was the biggest selling point.

“But first and foremost, really Deon — he’s a tour de force,” Swank beams.

Ealy, who previously worked with Taylor on his 2019 thriller The Intruder, concurs, adding he found this film to be “a graduation” for him and Deon.

“This was a different kind of thriller,” he explains. “The Intruder was kind of a popcorn movie. It’s fun. It was entertaining…PG 13. And Fatale feels more like an adult rated R, grown folks movie, with grown folks issues. It’s a noir thriller that we haven’t done before… [and] seen in recent years.”

Fatale, also starring Mike Coulter, is now playing in select theaters.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Russell Dickerson brings Christmas cheer to a superfan with a very special surprise gift

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAAs Christmas nears, Russell Dickerson is playing secret Santa for a 17-year-old fan.

Over the summer, a teenage Utah native named Sarah Frei was driving with her friends when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Sarah became paralyzed from the waist down and lost both her legs.

She’s also a huge fan of Russell’s music: So much so that, while she was recuperating from her injuries in the hospital, her school’s cheerleading squad created a special routine set to the singer’s “Home Sweet,” which is Sarah’s favorite song.

When the country star heard her story, he wanted to do something special for his young fan.

“To see the joy, and to see the zeal for life still that she had…it just drew me in and captured me, and I was in,” Russell explains. He decided to team up with Chevrolet to surprise Sarah with a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse with all the amenities to suit her needs, including maximized cabin space and a fully-powered and lighted ramp.

“My manager told me, one of the first things Sarah said when she got out of surgery was, ‘Will I ever be able to drive again?’” the singer continues. “I was like, ‘What can we do to just absolutely make her life? How can we just blow her mind?’”

This week, Russell hopped on a Zoom call with Sarah and her mom to surprise her with her Christmas gift: A brand new car that she’ll be able to drive.

“Home Sweet” comes off the track list of the singer’s sophomore album, Southern Symphony, which came out this month.


By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmie Allen transforms his 'Bettie James' EP into a mini-movie with his new 'Bettie James Picture'

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAEarlier in 2020, Jimmie Allen released his landmark Bettie James EP. The star-studded project saw him collaborating with country legends like Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley, newcomers like Mickey Guyton, and out-of-genre greats like Nelly, Rita Wilson and Noah Cyrus.

Now, Jimmie’s taking Bettie James one step further. The singer unveiled a half-hour-long mini-movie called Bettie James Picture this week, which was written by the singer himself and directed by Sam Aldrich.

Jimmie also stars in the musical film, following a working-class citizen as he goes through a typical day of work, relaxation and more. In one emotional moment, Jimmie visits a veterans’ cemetery as his song “Why Things Happen,” a collaboration with Charley Pride and Darius Rucker, plays. He kneels beside a stone reading “James E. Allen,” which is the name of the singer’s dad and one half of the EP’s namesake.

The other half, “Bettie,” comes from Jimmie’s beloved grandmother, Bettie Snead.

The Bettie James EP first came out back in July. It follows two successful singles, “Best Shot” and “Make We Want To,” which both peaked at the top of the country charts.


By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.