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Tonight, 'Queer Eye' star Karamo gives advice, and gives away $75K on Karamo's Holiday Spectacular

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Courtesy of Karamo(NEW YORK) — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, Queer Eye star and therapist Karamo Brown is hosting Karamo’s Holiday Spectacular. Presented by online payment company Zelle, the event will allow fans to interact with Brown and other celebrity guests, and will see three lucky — and worthy — winners of Zelle’s “Send Cheer” contest being gifted $75,000.

Karamo says he’s excited “to be able to say to three people, ‘Because you’ve been giving back, because you’ve been helping other people, even in this hard moment, here’s a gift for you.'”

He adds that this season in particular has been tricky for many people. Luckily, Brown was a licensed social worker, and mental health in this COVID Christmas season will be addressed.

“So many people are like, ‘How do I navigate relationships? How do I navigate family conversation, how do I navigate this..?'” Karamo says.  “And unfortunately, I can’t respond to a lot of DMs. But if you come to the IG Live, I can give you the advice you need. It’s your own little mini Queer Eye session through the IG Holiday Spectacular.”

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kacey Musgraves has "full-circle, bucket list moment" by joining new Studio Ghibli movie

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image GroupKacey Musgraves may have some new music in the works, but there’s another project that has her even more excited — she’s will be making her voice acting debut in a Studio Ghibli movie.

The “Follow Your Arrow” singer, 32, will be voicing the main character’s mother in the animated adaptation of Earwig and the Witch.  In addition, she will also lend her voice to perform the English version of the movie’s theme song, “Don’t Disturb Me.”

“My all-time biggest heart dream came true,” She tweeted in a Tuesday announcement. “Thank you @StudioGhibli for having me sing & voice a part in your new movie.  Can’t wait for everybody to see this one.”

The singer revealed that she has always been a fan of Studio Ghibli, saying she fell in love with the movie My Neighbor Totoro when she was five.  

“I’ll never forget the comfort and the magic that movie (and many other Ghibli films) have given me,” she continued. “To say this was full-circle, bucketlist [sic] moment is an understatement.”

Earwig and the Witch is based off the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, the author of Howl’s Moving Castle — another novel Studio Ghibli adapted into a feature-length animated film in 2004.  The story follows an orphan who discovers that her mother was a witch and moves into the home of a very peculiar pair.

Earwig will be directed by Gor? Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki‘s son. Earwig will be the studio’s first fully computer-animated feature.

The movie is set to premiere on Japan’s NHK Network on December 30, 2020.  The movie will head to the U.S. for a theatrical release in early 2021, reports IndieWire.

Studio Ghibli is behind other beloved classics like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Michael B. Jordan launches HBCU basketball showcase in his hometown

• No Comments • Sports News

Augustas Cetkauskas/iStockBy GEORGE CONSTANTINO, ABC News

(NEWARK, N.J.) — Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan is giving back to the Black community in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, by launching the inaugural “Hoop Dreams Classic.”

The 33-year-old actor has partnered with WME Sports, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), and Scout Sports and Entertainment/Horizon Media (Scout) for the event, a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) showcase.

“This past year has been the tipping point for so many, including myself, in revving up support for Black people,” Jordan said in a statement. “As a Newark native, I am committed to bringing change to the community and am honored to be able to present The Hoop Dreams Classic as a way to celebrate the value of community, education, and Black college experiences.”

The actor added, “Through our shared love of basketball, I look forward to bringing the communal spirit of HBCUs to the city that helped shape me into the man I am today.”

The one-day showcase, which will take place on Dec. 18, 2021, will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Four of the top Division I HBCU men’s and women’s basketball programs will be featured during the event.

The “Hoop Dreams Classic” will also include an “immersive cultural experience” with culinary events, live musical performances, film festivals, a battle of the bands that highlights life at HBCU, in addition to career and college opportunities for the community.

Part of the proceeds from the event will support the Newark community and organizations that are focused on advancing historically Black colleges and universities.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lauren Alaina to star in the next installment of CMT’s 'Off the Road' digital series

• No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of CMTLauren Alaina is taking fans behind the scenes of her quarantine-era daily life with a new installment of CMT’s Off the Road digital series.

The 2020 version of CMT’s On the Road digital franchise, which follows artists on tour, Off the Road follows what artists are doing as they deal with life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My life has been turned upside down this year like everyone else’s” Lauren says in a trailer for the show. “I love to be onstage. I’ve been doing it for 10 years. So it’s been really important to me to find ways to still connect with people.”

The new show will follow along as Lauren gets ready for the holidays, even taking virtual cooking lessons from her Nana.  Fans can also get a behind-the-scenes look at her Macy’s Thanksgiving Day performance in New York City, and see all the ways she’s kept busy and connected to her fans despite not being on tour.

Lauren’s installment of Off the Road premieres on Thursday night at 6pm on CMT’s digital platforms.

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

Runaway June’s Naomi Cooke is engaged to Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson

• No Comments • Country Music News

Ford FairchildTalk about a great crossover collaboration! Runaway June band mate Naomi Cooke announced this week that she’s engaged to Martin Johnson, of emo and alt-rock group Boys Like Girls.

Per People, Martin popped the question on Sunday, about one-and-a-half years after the couple began dating. They’ve kept their relationship fairly quiet up until now, but Naomi shared her good news — and a snapshot of her brand-new ring — on Instagram Wednesday.

“By the look of my nails, he surprised me,” she wrote in the caption, alongside a picture of herself cozied up with her new fiancé.

The couple have worked together musically in the recent past, too. Martin co-wrote “Christmas on the Radio,” one of the originals on Runaway June’s new holiday project, with songwriter Sam Hollander.  That song is one of the six tracks on the band’s latest EP, When I Think About Christmas, which came out in October. It also includes a handful of holiday classics, as well as another original song co-penned by band mate Jennifer Wayne.


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