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Kane Brown to perform in pre-recorded drive-in show this month

• No Comments • Country Music News

Frank Hoensch/RedfernsKane Brown is the next artist in line for a drive-in concert.

The cross-genre hitmaker is partnering with Encore Live for a one-night-only, never-before seen show that will air at more than 300 drive-in and outdoor theaters across the U.S. and Canada on September 26. 

The venues will be working in accordance with CDC guidelines, along with state and local rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Vehicles will be spaced at least six feet apart from each other, with each vehicle allowed to bring a maximum of six people. 

Staff will be wearing PPE and provide contactless ticketing and check-in onsite. 

Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday at 12pm local time and are priced at $76 per vehicle. Early bird tickets, available until September 18, are $56 per vehicle. 

Kane released his latest EP, Mixtape, Vol. 1, in August, featuring the singles “Cool Again,” “Worldwide Beautiful” and “Be Like That,” with Swae Lee and Khalid.  

Kane follows in the footsteps of Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton, both of whom have presented drive-in broadcasts.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lupita Nyong'o shares heartfelt tribute to 'Black Panther' co-star Chadwick Boseman

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Jeff Vespa/VF14/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — Lupita Nyong’o has broken her silence on the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman.

The Oscar winner took to social media to honor her Black Panther co-star, who died at age 43 following a silent four-year battle with colon cancer.

“Chadwick was a man who made the most of his time, and somehow also managed to take his time,” she wrote, calling Boseman’s death a “punch to my gut.”

“I didn’t know him for long,” Nyong’o continued, “but he had a profound effect on me in the time that I did.”

The 12 Years a Slave actress recalled “being struck by his quiet, powerful presence” upon meeting him for the first time and explained how simply being around Boseman made her want to “be better, less petty, more purposeful.”

“He was fueled by love, not fear,” Nyong’o wrote. “He moved quietly, deliberately and without imposing himself or his ideals on others. And yet he also made damn sure that his life meant something. He was unwavering about that.”

“He cared so deeply about humanity, about Black people, about his people,” she added. “He activated our pride. By pushing through and working with such high purpose in the films he chose to commit to, Chadwick has made the infinite his home.”

Aside from playing T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Boseman made a name for himself portraying real-life heroes from Black culture: Jackie Robinson in 2013’s 42, James Brown in 2014’s Get on Up and Thurgood Marshall in 2017’s Marshall.

“We are all charged by his work as a result, by his presence in our lives,” Nyong’o concluded. “His power lives on and will reverberate for generations to come. He used his life force to tell meaningful stories. And now we tell his.”

By Carson Blackwelder
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Academy of Country Music Awards partners with Circle for 'ACM Awards Red Carpet Week'

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Academy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music is rolling out the (virtual) red carpet with a week of programming on the Circle TV network, leading up to the 2020 ACM Awards. 

The ACM is partnering with Circle, the network that broadcasts the Grand Ole Opry, for ACM AwardsRed Carpet Week, which includes four days worth of shows that spotlight ACM Awards nominees past and present. 

The programming kicks off on September 12 with Opry performances by New Female Artist of the Year Tenille Townes and New Male Artist of the Year Riley Green, along with Ashley McBryde, who was named New Female Vocalist in 2019, all airing at 8 p.m. ET.

Ahead of the Saturday night Opry show, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Carly Pearce and others will partake in the livestream event Circle Sessions: ACM Awards at 7 p.m. ET. 

The ACM-themed schedule also includes the premiere of Riley’s new series Coming Home, offering fans an inside look at his hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama.

Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Old Dominion, Martina McBride and more will perform as part of the intimate, live concert series Soundstage, along with re-runs of Hee Haw featuring appearances by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard.  

The series of shows lead up to the 2020 ACM Awards, airing live from the Opry, Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Maya Hawke opens up about dyslexia and how she was kicked out of school because she couldn't read

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Image Group LA via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Maya Hawke, who stole hearts in the most recent season of Stranger Things, opened up over the weekend about her learning disabilities and why she was kicked out of school.

In a Saturday interview with NPR, Hawke — who is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman — candidly spoke about her dyslexia and how it still affects her career.

Despite the hardships her disability has brought her over the years, the 22-year-old actress attests, “I would say it is, like, one of the great blessings of my life in a lot of ways.”

One particular hardship was when her old school punished her for struggling to keep up with her classmates.

“I did get, like, kicked out of school for not being able to read when I was a kid,” Hawke disclosed in the interview, “It was deeply difficult.”

“Every grade that went by, you get dropped down into a lower and lower reading group,” she continued in regards to how her old school reacted to her disability, but says her leaving it was for the best because she then “went to a special school for kids with learning disabilities.”

While it “took me a long time to learn how to read,” as the Little Women star reveals, she is still “limited” as to what she can do.

Hawke remained positive that she will persevere, adding “The wonderful thing about today’s world is that there are so many options.”

As for how her dyslexia has made her a better actress, the “Generous Heart” artist says it’s enhanced her ability to “take in stories.”

“That made me even more determined to love them and understand them and grow in them,” Hawke explained. She also credits her parents for doing “a wonderful job of encouraging me to be creative.”

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

Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes & more to perform on the Opry on Saturday

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAThe Grand Ole Opry will soon be graced by the presence of rising talent, along with a country music veteran. 

Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes and Riley Green will perform on the Opry this Saturday, alongside 2019 inductee Mark Wills. 

Tenille and Riley were both early 2020 ACM Awards winners when host Keith Urban recently surprised them with a video call revealing that they’d been named New Female Artist of the Year and New Male Artist of the Year, respectively.

Additionally, Ashley is nominated for three 2020 CMA Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for her latest project Never Will, and Musical Event of the Year as a featured artist on Miranda Lambert‘s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” Tenille is also nominated in the latter category for her participation in the collaboration.    

The September 12 show will mark the Opry’s 4,942nd consecutive broadcast on Saturday nights. The venue has been closed to the public since mid-March, the Opry taping the weekly shows non-audience and with a skeleton crew. 

Other stars who’ve recently performed on the show include Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and Amy Grant and more.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.