YouTube(NEW YORK) — YouTube Originals is throwing a global New Year’s Eve party with Hello 2021, a star-studded ringing in of what will hopefully be a better year, live from the U.S., UK, Korea, Japan, and India.
‘The online giant announced its “virtual New Year’s Eve event” will be a five-part celebration that premieres Thursday, December 31, and brings together, “2020’s most influential public figures, music artists and YouTube creators.”
Hello 2021: Americas will be hosted by Juanpa Zurita and Storm Reid, and will welcome celebrity guests including Matthew McConaughey, Demi Lovato, RuPaul, and Emma Chamberlain, among others, and will feature musical performances from Dua Lipa, J Balvin, YG, Karol G and Kane Brown. It kicks off on the YouTube Originals channel at 10:30pm ET on New Year’s Eve.
However, the celebration gets started long before that, with parties overseas:
Japan and Korea are 14 hours ahead of the U.S.; Hello 2021: Japan will feature celebrity guests, a quiz show element, and more, while Hello 2021: Korea will be hosted by Sechan Yang and Jesung Hwang, and includes artists like Balming Tiger and more.
Some 11 hours before the YouTube party starts in the U.S., Hello 2021: India will also feature a performance from Dua Lipa, and feature guests ranging from Bollywood superstars to popular Indian music artists.
The U.K.’s festivities start five hours before Storm Reid and company kick things off in the States: Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, MNEK w/Joel Corry and Aitch & AJ Tracey will perform live.
After this “challenging year,” Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube said, “We look forward to closing the book on 2020 and throwing a worldwide celebration that our YouTube community can safely enjoy from home.”
ABC/Image Group LAJimmieAllen has signed on to be the next ambassador for the Country Music Association’s Unified Voices for Music Education initiative.
Throughout the month of December, the “Best Shot” star will work with music educators in a variety of ways, using his background as a country star to help further and promote the mission of music education everywhere.
“Music played a huge role in my life growing up and I can’t imagine my childhood without it,” Jimmie explains. “I have learned so many life skills through music. I’m looking forward to getting involved with the CMA Foundation’s Unified Voices for Music Education program and sharing the impact that music has had on my life with students across the country.”
The program is a relatively new initiative, and Jimmie’s following in the footsteps of its flagship artist ambassador, Ashley McBryde, who partnered with the CMA Foundation last month.
During her time with the program, Ashley put together a band lesson on building the musical note major scale, to be used by students and teachers alike. That lesson, as well as other educational videos, are available to watch on the initiative’s YouTube channel.
By MORGAN WINSOR, ERIN SCHUMAKER, IVAN PEREIRA and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 69 million people and killed over 1.5 million worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Dec 10, 12:12 pm HHS officials acknowledge staffing struggle
Jonathan Greene, deputy assistant secretary for operations and resources at the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged in a briefing call that the agency is not able to provide the number of health care workers states are requesting.
HHS and FEMA have been “very judicious” in using and moving health care workers, providing 300 to 400 nationwide, which matches the number deployed during the first surge in the spring, Greene said. Fewer were deployed over the summer, mimicking the case curve.
About 3,100 can be deployed nationally, but Greene admitted the system is designed more for situations like hurricanes than for pandemics.
“It works less well when we’re talking about a pandemic where everyone needs all of these providers all at once. And certainly when we activate and deploy these people and take them out of their full-time jobs and put them somewhere else, it reduces the capacity in the places where they come from,” he said.
Greene emphasized that local health systems ought to look to nontraditional health care providers and locations for back-up before looking to the federal government for staffing resources. ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report. Dec 10, 12:07 pm Ellen DeGeneres tests positive
Ellen DeGeneres said Thursday that she’s tested positive for COVID-19 and is “feeling fine.”
“Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper guidelines,” the talk show host said.
Dec 10, 11:13 am NYC schools aim to close ‘COVID achievement gap’
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his 2021 student achievement plan, which will focus on getting students caught up after, for some, 18 months of remote learning.
“Clearly there will be a COVID achievement gap and we have to close that COVID achievement gap,” the mayor said.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said the plan is to: get a baseline of what ground was lost; increase the high-quality digital curriculum available for every single school; launch a one-stop digital learning hub; deepen professional development; expand Parent University (the “online learning and empowerment platform” for families); and confront the trauma and mental health crisis within schools. ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
Dec 10, 9:02 am Seoul reporting bed shortages
In South Korea, more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients were identified in the last week, and in the Seoul area, as of Wednesday, 506 were unable to be taken to hospitals this week due to bed shortages, Yonhap reported.
South Korea reported 682 new cases and eight more deaths on Thursday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported.
The nation now has over 40,000 confirmed cases.
Dec 10, 8:25 am FDA Commissioner: ‘We intend to’ act quickly on vaccine review
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, an independent panel of infectious disease experts, doctors and scientists, is meeting Thursday to recommend if the Pfizer vaccine should be considered safe and effective in the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn told ABC News’ Good Morning America Thursday that he wouldn’t “prejudge” what the advisory committee would vote, but said the FDA will act “quickly” afterward.
“FDA’s reviewers are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. We totally understand the urgency of this situation, and we are working around the clock on behalf of America,” Hahn said. “FDA scientists are known around the world for their expertise. We are a regulatory gold standard for the authorization or approval of medical products, including vaccines. We intend to do and we have done a very thorough review to get this right, to get all the answers we possibly can from the data.”
Hahn also said the FDA was “working very closely with our U.K. partners” after two people who received the vaccine in the U.K. had severe allergic reactions.
Hahn told NBC that it was “possible” that the FDA could advise people with significant allergies to not get the vaccine. Hahn said the allergy issue would be discussed at Thursday’s meeting but added that the FDA stands by “our initial assessment” that Pfizer’s vaccine “does meet our criteria.”
Dec 10, 4:31 am US on verge of grim milestone: 290,000 deaths from COVID
Just as the U.S. surpassed 280,000 deaths from coronavirus on Saturday, Dec. 5, the country is likely to pass 290,000 deaths later today.
The current death toll stands at 289,373, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
This comes on the heels of new records reported yesterday in highest single-day total and seven-day average of new daily deaths — 3,054 and 2,276 respectively — according to The COVID Tracking Project.
Dec 10, 1:16 am Four incoming Georgia sheriffs test positive for COVID-19, others await results
Four Georgia sheriffs just elected to their counties have tested positive for COVID-19.
In a joint statement sent out Wednesday night, Fulton County Sheriff-elect Pat Labat and Cobb County Sheriff-elect Craig Owens said they tested positive after attending a sheriff’s school in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
Gwinnett Sheriff-elect Keybo Taylor and Henry County Sheriff-elect Reginald Scandrett also said they tested positive for COVID-19. Others who attended the conference are quarantining in their homes as they await their COVID-19 test results.
“We urge all Georgians to follow the advice of our dedicated health care workers and to wear masks and socially distance,” the sheriffs said in a joint statement. “While the vaccine is forthcoming, the pandemic is not over yet, and we must all remain diligent to ensure the safety of our communities.”
ABC/Image Group LACarly Pearce has been going through a productive creative period since the start of the pandemic, and she’s got the new music to prove it.
The singer gave fans a peek at another unreleased demo this week, posting a 30-second clip of a song called “Messy.” It’s a breakup anthem that acknowledges that healing after heartbreak isn’t linear, and that sometimes things get…well, messy.
“I wrote this one for anyone who needs to hear that it’s 100% okay to go on a rollercoaster of emotions when you’re going through a breakup & are healing,” Carly wrote. “I’ve found this year that you HAVE to give yourself grace & yeah, heartbreak ISN’T sexy.”
The singer’s speaking from personal experience. Over the summer, she filed for divorce from her husband, fellow artist Michael Ray. A couple of months later, she opened up about the split, admitting that 2020 has been the most difficult year of her life.
But there’s been an upside to all that hardship. Carly is at the top of her game in country music, and even notched her first CMA Awards trophy this year for her Lee Brice duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.”
In addition to officially putting out new songs like her single “Next Girl” and her ballad, “Show Me Around,” Carly’s been offering glimpses of unreleased tracks. Before “Messy,” she teased another clip of a song called “Heart First,” back in October.
I wrote this one for anyone who needs to hear that it’s 100% okay to go on a rollercoaster of emotions when you’re going through a break up & are healing. I’ve found this year that you HAVE to give yourself grace & yeah, heartbreak ISN’T sexy 😉🤍 This is “Messy”…. pic.twitter.com/iJUmHA5V9D
John Lamparski/Getty ImagesKacey Musgraves makes a cameo in Australian pop singer-songwriter Troye Sivan’s new remix of “Easy,” a song originally included on Sivan’s August EP, In a Dream.
In the new version, assisted by superstar producer Mark Ronson, Kacey swaps verses with Troye, reimagining his troubled, lonesome dance number as a duet. “I’m not a saint, so just give me the blame / We knew what was under the surface and lived like it wouldn’t hurt us,” Kacey sings.
Kacey also co-stars in a new music video for the track, in which she and Troye are on the run. After meeting outside an adult entertainment store, the pair team up and hit the road together, with Kacey dying her hair in an attempt to avoid being found out. Along the way, they swing by a couple country-themed dance clubs, complete with flashes of line dancing and cowboy boots. The pair also make stops at karaoke bars and drag shows.
Despite the fact that they hail from different genres and different parts of the world, Kacey and Troye have teamed up in the past. She enlisted his help for her original Christmas song, “Glittery,” which was featured in her 2019 holiday special, The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show.
YouTube(NEW YORK) — YouTube Originals is throwing a global New Year’s Eve party with Hello 2021, a star-studded ringing in of what will hopefully be a better year, live from the U.S., UK, Korea, Japan, and India.
