Pearl Records, Inc.It’s been a long year, and Garth Brooks knows his fans are more than ready for a little FUN. The singer revealed that his long-awaited new studio album is on its way, arriving November 20.
Garth has been teasing the project for quite a while, and says the only reason he hasn’t released it already is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The whole reason why FUN hasn’t been released was hesitation of having fun or celebrating FUN’s release in the midst of a pandemic when people are struggling,” he explains.
But as 2020 has worn on, the singer has seen fans continuing to ask for new music — and he’s come to realize that a little FUN might be the perfect way to cap off a tough year.
“The pandemic has gone on so long, [the question became] ‘Could we just have a little fun? Toward the end of the year, can we just celebrate a little bit of the healing through music?’” Garth continues. “And when an artist gets a chance to be part of the healing through his or her or their music, that’s the greatest honor of getting to be a music or an entertainer or an artist.”
When FUN arrives next Friday, it’ll include previously-released fan favorites like “Dive Bar,” Garth’s Blake Shelton duet, and his current single, “Shallow,” a cover performance with Trisha Yearwood of the Oscar-winning song from A Star Is Born.
But that’s not all the FUN Garth has in store: The singer’s hinting that his project includes another duet that he’s keeping under wraps for now.
You can catch Garth performing today as a guest host on Ellen, too.
(NEW YORK) — Eta’s moisture combined with a cold front Thursday, which resulted in copious amounts of rain that caused some of the worst flooding in parts of Virginia and North Carolina since 1995.
A flash flood emergency was issued for parts of North Carolina Thursday, where many rescues were reported.
Flooding in Alexander County, North Carolina, has left four people dead and two others — one adult and one child — missing, officials said. Three died from flooding at the Hiddenite Family Campground, where a search will resume Friday morning for a missing adult and child. Another person died in the county from a car accident Thursday that was caused by a bridge washout.
Eta is finally gone Friday, but there are still flood warnings in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina due to rising rivers. Some rivers will not crest until next week.
In Virginia, the Roanoke River rose to more than 34 feet, making it the highest level since 1995.
The highest rainfall in the U.S. Thursday was in Campbell County, Virginia, where 10.5 inches fell.
Elsewhere, in Tampa Bay, Florida, up to 10 inches of rain fell. In South Carolina, the highest rainfall total was 7.95 inches, and in Georgia, 5.13 inches.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, 4.62 inches of rain fell, making it the wettest November day in the city’s history.
In addition, a new tropical wave is developing in the Caribbean Sea. This system could become our next named storm, Iota.
Thankfully, most models keep this system away from the U.S., but Central America, which was hit very hard with deadly floods from Eta last weekend, is in its path.
In the West, a major storm system moving in could bring up to 3 feet of snow, wind gusts that could reach 100 mph and heavy rain along coastal northern California, Oregon and Washington.
Nathan Congleton/NBC(NEW YORK) — Last week, Today co-host Al Roker revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He alerted fans that, while the cancer was caught early, it was aggressive and required immediate surgery.
On Thursday, the 66-year-old news personality let concerned followers know that he is finally back home and resting comfortably after a successful operation.
“Relieved to let you all know that my #prostatecancer surgery is done,” Roker said on Twitter. “Big shoutout to everyone at the #josierobertsonsurgerycenter and appreciate all the thoughts and wishes from our viewers and the wonderful care packages from my co-workers.”
While it is unknown how long the Emmy Award-winner will be at home recuperating for, he did share that he expects to “see you all soon.”
When Roker revealed his cancer diagnosis on November 6, he called the situation a “good news-bad news kind of thing.”
“The good news is we caught it early, not great news is that it’s a little aggressive,” he explained. “I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”
At the time, he estimated that he will be back to work “hopefully in about two weeks.”
While Roker thanked friends, fans and family for rallying around him with good vibes and well wishes, he hopes his diagnosis will highlight the increased risk Black men have of developing prostate cancer.
“The problem for African American men is that any number of reasons from genetics to access to health care, and so we want to make it available and let people know they got to get checked,” he noted.
In addition, Roker also stressed the importance of scheduling a regular prostate exam and undergoing regular cancer screenings.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in March, the film’s theatrical release has been pushed from June 5 to August 14, October 2, and finally to December 25.
However, with movie theaters facing another shutdown due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, the studio sees a way of supporting theaters, while boosting subscription rates for the streamer, which has been lagging behind competitors like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+.
However, as the studio learned with the release of Tenet back in September, Wonder Woman 84‘s wouldn’t come close to delivering its projected billion-dollar haul.
No matter which option Warner Bros. chooses, the film is assured of getting a theatrical release.
(NEW YORK) — A Georgia judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to release two men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man shot while jogging in February.
Arbery, 25, was killed in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 23. He tried to run for his life before he was struck by a car, shot and then called a racial slur by one of the suspects, according to prosecutors.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley heard testimony from several witnesses for Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64, who described them as upstanding members of community. But prosecutors presented evidence of texts and social media posts by the suspects in an effort to show how racism likely played a large role in Arbery’s death.
Travis McMichael and Gregory McMichael each have been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. William Bryan, a third suspect, has been charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. All three men have pleaded not guilty.
Their defense attorneys have requested that the judge reject the malice murder charge included in their indictment, saying that “charges two crimes in one count.”
The posts contained information from racial groups and posts about vigilanteism, as well as a “violent video” called “Coon on a Highway,” according to the prosecutors.
Zachary Langford, a childhood friend of Travis McMichael, testified that he was “always respectful” and “got along with everyone,” even those of different backgrounds. When asked by Cobb County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Jesse Evans about a text exchange between the two in which they allegedly discussed shooting a black person with gold teeth, Langford said they were “being facetious” and “referring to a raccoon.”
Last month, prosecutors filed a notice of intent to use the “racial” texts and posts, which included a text Travis McMichael sent on March 16 and two “racial” posts on Facebook on June 15 and Aug. 22 — the latter of which was a highway video. It also included “racial” Facebook posts by Gregory McMichael and “racial” text messages extracted from the phone of Bryan, according to court documents.
In a previous bond hearing for Bryan, Evans said Bryan repeatedly used the n-word in texts. Bryan took cellphone video of the shooting and told authorities he heard Travis McMichael say a racial slur when he shot Arbery three times.
During Thursday’s hearing, defense attorneys for the McMichaels denied that the posts and texts were “hateful thoughts,” saying they “are thoughts we might differ with.”
An attorney for Greg McMichael conceded that one post on his Facebook page by Identity Dixie, which said to “stop letting strangers lecture you about your ancestors,” linked to a hate group. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Identity Dixie is a “small Facebook campaign predicated on keeping Confederate monuments.”
Witnesses for Travis McMichael included his mother, Lee McMichael, and four friends who agreed to offer their property as collateral for his bond, nearly $400,000.
Lee McMichael testified that she did not believe her son would leave because he values his relationship with his 4-year-old son, whom he saw every other week prior to his arrest, and his ties to his community.
“Travis will go nowhere, because he loves home, he loves his son, he will stand up to his responsibility, and he wants his day in court,” Lee McMichael said.
Both Langford and his wife, Ashley Langford, testified that Travis McMichael felt remorse after Arbery’s death. They and other friends described him as the fun guy in their social circle who often was making jokes.
Lee McMichael also testified for her husband, as did a family friend and the landlord for the home they rent in Brunswick, Georgia. They said they’re willing to put up about $300,000 in collateral for George McMichael’s bond.
Lee McMichael described her husband as a dedicated father and grandfather, presenting his service to the community as a retired investigator for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney’s office and a former Glynn County police officer as evidence that he isn’t a flight risk.
Arbery’s parents appeared in court. A victim impact statement read for Marcus Arbery read that he “suffered the deepest loss” a father could endure and that he “urged the court to reject the motion and continue to keep the defendant behind bars.”
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, took the stand and said that the suspects are “proud of what they’ve done” and would do so again if given the opportunity.
“I have suffered,” she said. “I continue to suffer mentally and emotionally while I wait for justice for my son.”
Cooper Jones asked the court to help her fight for justice for her son and protect her grandchildren by keeping the McMichaels behind bars.
Walmsley didn’t decide whether to grant bail, and the hearing will continue on Friday.
Both McMichaels and Bryan told authorities they thought Arbery was a suspect in a series of break-ins. They were charged in May after video showing the deadly struggle appeared online and have been in custody ever since. An earlier request to grant them bond was denied in May.
Pearl Records, Inc.It’s been a long year, and Garth Brooks knows his fans are more than ready for a little FUN. The singer revealed that his long-awaited new studio album is on its way, arriving November 20.
