Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyCould Chris Gaines make a comeback? According to Garth Brooks, the faux rock star’s alter ego, we may see Gaines again soon.
Longtime fans of Brooks will recall his 1999 album Garth Brooks in… The Life of Chris Gaines. It featured the country icon transforming into a fictional Australian rock star with dark hair, guyliner, a smoldering glare and a soul patch.
The project peaked at number two on the all-genre Billboard 200 and spawned a top five Billboard 100 hit, “Lost in You.”
Gaines has largely gone into hiding since then, but in a new interview with Billboard, Brooks reveals the rocker may see a resurrection.
“Trust me, it’s got a whole life of its own and it’s all coming. It won’t be anything predictable, I can guarantee you, because that’s kind of what that character’s thought process was,” he explains.
“If you know the greatest hits, they had to come from somewhere, if that tells you what’s coming,” he adds.
While fans wait to see what comes from Gaines, Garth and wife Trisha Yearwood recently recorded a studio version of “Shallow” from the hit 2018 remake of A Star is Born. It’ll be featured on Garth’s upcoming album, FUN.
CMTThe CMT Awards final roundup of performers includes rising stars and all-star collaborations.
Sam Hunt, Gabby Barrett and Morgan Wallen are all slated to take the main stage during the awards show, joining previously announced performers Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, co-host Kane Brown, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde and Little Big Town.
Gabby is also up for Female Video of the Year and Breakthrough Video of the Year for her smash hit “I Hope,” while Sam and Morgan are both nominated in the category of Male Video of the Year: Sam for “Hard to Forget” and Morgan for “Chasin’ You.”
The “Body Like a Back Road” hitmaker also scored a nod for CMT Performance of the Year for his cover of Reba McEntire‘s signature hit, “Fancy,” at the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony.
Additionally, fans can look forward to a slew of collaborative performances. Kelsea Ballerini will team up with her pal Halsey, while Jimmie Allen duets with Noah Cyrus and Luke Combs joins forces with Brooks + Dunn.
Shania Twain will also make an appearance at the CMT Awards ceremony, her first since 2011.
The entirely fan-voted show airs on October 21 at 8 p.m. ET.
narvikk/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1 million people worldwide.
Over 37.8 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.
The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 7.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 215,251 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 858,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 821,000 cases and over 736,000 cases, respectively.
More than 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.
Here’s how the news is developing Tuesday. All times Eastern: Oct 13, 11:07 am Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19
Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for COVID-19, the governing body of soccer in Portugal announced Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Portuguese soccer star is “doing well,” doesn’t have any symptoms and is currently self-isolating, according to a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation. Due to the positive test result, he will not take part in his country’s UEFA Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday.
Following Ronaldo’s diagnosis, the remaining players of Portugal’s national soccer team were tested for COVID-19 again Tuesday morning and all results came back negative. Portugal coach Fernando Santos will train them Tuesday afternoon at the Cidade do Futebol complex near Lisbon, according to the statement. Oct 13, 10:39 am Europe reports highest weekly incidence of COVID-19 cases
The World Health Organization said more than 2.2 million new cases of COVID-19 and 39,000 deaths from the disease have been reported across the globe in the past week, the highest number of reported cases so far in a single week since the start of the pandemic.
According to the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update published Monday, Europe registered the highest weekly incidence of COVID-19 cases of any region since the start of the pandemic, with almost 700,000 new infections reported. The region’s weekly incidence in cases and deaths increased by 34% and 16% respectively in comparison to the previous week. The United Kingdom, France, Russia and Spain account for over half of all new cases reported in the region.
Africa reported a substantial rise in deaths from COVID-19, with a 27% increase compared to the previous week. South Africa continues to register more than half of all confirmed cases reported in the region, the WHO said.
Still, nearly half of the world’s cases and deaths continue to be reported in the Americas region, with the United States, Brazil and Argentina accounting for the greatest numbers, according to the WHO.
All regions showed an increase in cases during the reporting period, except Southeast Asia. Countries reporting the highest number of cases in the last seven days include India, the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom and France, the WHO said.
Oct 13, 8:28 am Iowa becomes latest US state to surpass 100,000 cases
Iowa has tallied more than 100,000 positive cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The midwestern U.S. state reached the grim milestone on Monday amid a surge in new cases. More than half of all 50 states have now passed the 100,000 mark.
As of Tuesday morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health had recorded a total of 100,507 positive cases out of 867,124 individuals tested so far, with a positivity rate of 11.6%.
U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to the Hawkeye State, where he will host a campaign rally Wednesday following his recent COVID-19 diagnosis.
Oct 13, 7:58 am Chinese city tests more than 3 million residents amid outbreak
The eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao has tested more than a third of its nine million residents for COVID-19 since launching a citywide testing campaign amid the country’s first reported domestic outbreak in months.
The Qingdao Municipal Health Commission said in a statement Tuesday that it had collected over three million samples for COVID-19 tests and that no new cases have been found among the more than 1.1 million results returned thus far. The entire city will be tested this week, the commission said.
A total of 12 cases of COVID-19 — six with symptoms and six without — have been recorded in Qingdao, since an outbreak linked to the city’s Municipal Chest Hospital was discovered over the weekend, according to the commission.
The Chinese mainland, where the coronavirus pandemic began last December, has so far reported 85,591 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,634 deaths. The country does not count asymptomatic infections as confirmed cases.
Oct 13, 7:16 am Italy introduces strict new nationwide measures
The Italian government imposed strict new measures nationwide on Tuesday in a bid to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus.
Under the new rules, parties in public spaces and discos, both indoors and outdoors, are banned. Parties can be held in restaurants but with no more than 30 attendees. Bars, ice cream parlors, pastry shops and restaurants with table service must close by midnight, while those without must shutter by 9 p.m. Drinks can only be consumed while sitting at tables — not while standing at the bar or outside — after 9 p.m.
Also banned are school trips, guided tours and any contact sports not organized by an association that can maintain social distancing rules. Gyms, however, remain open.
The government’s new measures are limited to “strong recommendations” against private gatherings and parties in homes with more than six people who don’t share a household. There’s also no obligation to wear a face mask inside a home but it’s “strongly recommended” when guests are over.
Last week’s nationwide mandate to wear masks outdoors remains in place.
The move comes as Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, sees a sharp uptick in infections after gradually loosening restrictions during the spring and summer, following a nearly three-month lockdown that helped get its COVID-19 outbreak under control.
Earlier this month, the European country confirmed more than 5,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day for the first time since the peak of its outbreak in late March. On Monday, Italy’s civil protection agency registered 4,619 new cases and 39 deaths, bringing the cumulative totals to 359,569 cases and 36,205 deaths.
Oct 13, 5:51 am Russia sees record rise in cases and deaths but ‘no reason’ for lockdown
Russia confirmed 13,868 new cases of COVID-19 and 244 deaths over the past 24 hours, setting new records for its daily tallies of both infections and fatalities.
It’s the third straight day that Russia has registered over 13,000 new cases. The country’s previous record of 13,634 new cases was set over the weekend. Meanwhile, the latest single-day death toll shatters the previous record of 232 deaths, which was set at the end of May.
The cumulative totals now stand at 1,312,310 confirmed cases and 22,727 deaths, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.
Russian authorities have said there’s no immediate plan to impose a second nationwide lockdown, even as the country’s outbreak grows after most coronavirus-related restrictions were lifted over the summer.
“In spite of the fact that we are seeing growing numbers, today in the Russian Federation we are not talking about blocking the economy, halting any activities, enterprises or any sectors of the economy because we see no reason for that today,” Anna Popova, head of Russian consumer watchdog Rospotrebnazor, told reporters Tuesday.
But officials in Moscow, the epicenter of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, have recommended that the elderly self-isolate at home and also encouraged businesses to have at least one-third of their employees work from home. School holidays in the capital this month were extended from one to two weeks.
More than 33% of the newly confirmed cases — 4,618 — and nearly 24% of the newly reported deaths — 58 — were registered in the capital. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has said that this week will be “largely decisive” in the fight against the city’s outbreak.
Oct 13, 5:33 am India records lowest daily tally of cases since August
India confirmed another 55,342 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, it’s lowest daily tally since mid-August.
An additional 706 coronavirus-related fatalities were also recorded. The country’s cumulative totals now stand at 7,175,880 confirmed cases and 109,856 deaths, according to the latest data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
India is only the second country in the world to surpass seven million total cases, after the United States. Since hitting a peak of 97,894 new cases registered in a single day in September, India’s average number of daily cases has steadily declined, falling to under 73,000 cases a day.
The vast country of nearly 1.4 billion people is still on track to become the pandemic’s worst-hit nation within weeks, overtaking the United States, where more than 7.8 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Oct 13, 5:08 am Four Vatican Swiss Guards test positive for COVID-19
Four members of the Vatican Swiss Guard have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
The test results came in over the weekend and the four guards, who are showing symptoms, were placed in isolation.
“During these hours, the necessary checks are being carried out among those who may have been in direct contact with them,” Bruni told reporters Monday. “In the meantime, in accordance with the provisions issued last week by the Governorate of Vatican City State, all the guards, whether on duty or not, wear masks, both outdoors and indoors, and observe the prescribed health measures.”
They are believed to be the first to test positive for the virus among the Vatican Swiss Guard, the elite, colorfully-dressed corps that protects the pope. It’s unknown what direct contact — if any — the infected guards had with Pope Francis, who doesn’t wear a mask at his general audiences or when meeting with worshippers, sometimes coming into relatively close contact to mingle and shake hands.
The COVID-19 infections among the four guards are in addition to three other positive cases discovered in recent weeks among residents and citizens of Vatican City, the tiny city-state surrounded by Rome that is home to the pontiff and serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. All cases have mild symptoms and the necessary measures of isolation and contact tracing have been taken, according to Bruni.
Oct 13, 4:31 am US reports more than 41,000 new cases
There were 41,653 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Monday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The latest daily tally is down by less than 3,000 from the previous day and falls well under the country’s record set on July 16, when there were 77,255 new cases in a 24-hour-reporting period.
An additional 317 coronavirus-related fatalities were also recorded Sunday, down from a peak of 2,666 new fatalities reported on April 17.
A total of 7,804,336 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 215,086 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July. The daily tally of new cases has gradually come down since then but has started to climb again in recent weeks.
Week-over-week comparisons show the number of new cases reported across the nation continues to go up, as does the usage of intensive care units, but the number of new deaths are down, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News last week.
GlosPics/MEGA/GC Images (L-R: Dominic West, Catherine FitzGerald)(LONDON) — The Affair star Dominic West is hitting back after accusations he’s been having, well, an affair with actress Lily James.
After West and James were photographed kissing and canoodling in Rome this weekend, West and his wife of 10 years, Catherine FitzGerald, put on a united front to show everything is just fine in their marriage.
On Tuesday, West and FitzGerald posed for a photo opp outside their home in England and shared a kiss of their own for photographers. They also held up a written sign that read, “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together. Thank you.”
U.K. tabloid The Daily Mailhad published photos of West, 50, and James, 31, riding an electric scooter together in Rome on Sunday. They were later spotted at a restaurant where West was snapped with his arm around James and kissing her neck. Sources said they also spent two nights at Hotel De La Ville together.
The two are set to co-star in the TV series The Pursuit of Love and while some initially thought they could be filming scenes for the show, the series is a period piece and they were not in costume.
West and FitzGerald share four children together: Dora, 14, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, 7. West also has a 22-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Sony Music NashvilleLuke Combs is offering fans a preview of a new track on his upcoming deluxe album.
The country superstar shared a teaser of “My Kinda Folk” on social media, a song that celebrates those who work hard and play hard.
Set inside the barn on his Tennessee property, Luke raises a glass to his kind of people, the ones who get rowdy on the weekend yet are ready for the work week come Monday.
“There outta be a law/Against working this hard/And still having this much fun/We get it done/Drink a beer/Catch a fish/Hunt a deer/And then we’ll fire up a little smoke/Me and my kinda folk,” Luke sings over a swampy acoustic guitar.
“My Kinda Folk” is one of five new bonus tracks featured on What You See Ain’t Always What You Get, the deluxe edition of Luke’s groundbreaking 2019 sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get. It drops on October 23.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyCould Chris Gaines make a comeback? According to Garth Brooks, the faux rock star’s alter ego, we may see Gaines again soon. 
