ABC/Randy Holmes(VIRGINIA) –Johnny Depp is seeking to delay the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard so that he can shoot the third installment in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts series.
Variety reports Depp is suing Heard for defamation for her 2019 Washington Post op-ed titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
Depp, who’s denied Heard’s abuse allegations in the past, wasn’t specifically named in the article, but the actor insists the article amounted to defamation by inference — which is punishable according to Virginia law.
That being said, the case is slated to go before court between Jan. 11 through Jan. 28, 2021 — dates that conflict with Warner Bros.’ October 2020-February 2021 shooting schedule for the film in London.
Variety is seeking to delay the hearing until at least May of next year.
ABC/Image Group LALuke Combs is offering a humble thank you to his fans for his six nominations at the 2020 CMA Awards.
The singer pulled double duty today, announcing some of the nominations with Carly Pearce live from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Luke is a first-time nominee for Single of the Year with “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” Album of the Year for his wildly successful What You See is What You Get, and the night’s top prize, Entertainer of the Year.
He’s also up for Male Vocalist of the Year, which he won in 2019, and scored two nods for Song of the Year with “Even Though I’m Leaving,” and Carly’s duet with Lee Brice on “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” which he co-wrote.
In the wake of the news, Luke turned to Instagram to share his gratitude for those closest to him, along with his loyal fanbase, which he credits for the accolades.
“Wow. What a morning. Thank you to the @cma for the consideration. Thank you to my team, my band and crew, my family, my beautiful wife @nicohocking, and to the fans, we miss you,” he professes. “None of this is possible without any of you. WE did this. THANK YOU!”
Both “Beer” and “Even Though I’m Leaving” are consecutive number-one hits featured on What You See.
(NEW YORK) — Tennis star Naomi Osaka donned a face mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March, at her debut match Monday night at the U.S. Open.
Osaka, the 2018 U.S. Open champion, wore the mask before and after her first-round victory against Japan’s Misaki Doi at Arthur Ashe stadium.
Osaka said she brought seven different face masks with her to the Grand Slam tournament, each honoring a different person killed by police.
“It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I’ll get to the finals so you can see all of them,” said Osaka, according to The Associated Press. “I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story. Maybe they’ll, like, Google it or something.”
“For me, [it’s about] just spreading awareness,” she said. “I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.”
Osaka, 22, joined fellow athletes in protest last month after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times by police in front of his children. The shooting sparked civil unrest in Blake’s hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the country.
Osaka protested the shooting by not competing in an Aug. 27 scheduled semifinal match at the 2020 Western & Southern Open.
“Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semifinals match tomorrow,” Osaka wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. “However, before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.”
“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction,” she continued. “Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.”
Osaka added in her statement that she is “exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again.”
“When will it ever be enough?” she asked, ending her statement with Jacob Blake’s name, Breonna Taylor’s name, Elijah McClain’s name and George Floyd’s name.
Taylor was fatally shot in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13 by police who were conducting a “no-knock” search warrant. Elijah McClain died at the age of 23 on Aug. 24, 2019, when he was walking home and stopped by Aurora, Colorado, police, was detained and put in a chokehold and administered ketamine by paramedics.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day after former police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
ABC News’ Hayley FitzPatrick contributed to this report.
Starz(LOS ANGELES) — Ahead of the highly anticipated premiere of Power Book 2: Ghost on Sunday, 50 Cent has confirmed another Power spinoff is on its way.
In an Instagram post, 50, who also serves as an executive producer of Starz’s Power franchise, shared Deadline‘s write-up that Power Book IV: Force, starring Joseph Sikora, was now in development.
“I don’t know you might want to work with me,” he teased in the image’s caption.
The new series, which is the third spinoff in the expanded Power Universe, will center on Power‘s fan-favorite character Tommy Egan, played Sikora. It will follow his journey as he leaves New York for a better a life in a different state.
Power Book IV: Force is expected to come after Power Book III: Raising Kanan, a prequel story set in the ‘90s which will follow Power character Kanan Stark. As previously reported, Mekai Curtis will star as a young Kanan Stark while Tony-winner Patina Miller will play his mom. Other notable cast members include Raquel Thomas, Omar Epps, Hailey Kilgore and Lovie Simone.
Power Book II: Ghost, the first spinoff from the Power franchise, will premiere Sunday, September 6 at 9 PM ET, before moving to its regular time slot at 8 PM on Starz.
ABC/image Group LAMaren Morris is celebrating the women of country music following the announcement of the 2020 CMA Awards nominations.
Maren is the third most-nominated act at the awards show, pulling in five nominations in top categories including Female Vocalist of the Year, while her multi-week number-one hit “The Bones” earned nods for Single of the Year and Song of the Year.
Her collaborative performance of “The Bones,” with soulful pop singer Hozier is also nominated for Musical Event of the Year.
Following the announcement of the nominations on Tuesday morning, Maren took to Twitter to reflect on what the awards mean in a year when live music was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the year that paused for many of us, we turned to country music. Thank you to my peers for these nominations,” Maren writes, also thanking Hozier for “amplifying” the song.
Maren concluded her post with words of praise for her fellow female artists. She gave a shout-out to Miranda Lambert — who is now the most-nominated female act in CMA Awards history — for their Musical Event of the Year nominated collaboration on Miranda’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” that also features Ashley McBryde, Elle King, Caylee Hammack and Tenille Townes.
Additionally, the top category of Entertainer of the Year includes two women, with Miranda and Carrie Underwood nominated alongside Eric Church, Luke Combs and Keith Urban.
“WOMEN CLEANED UP THIS YEAR!” Maren cheers.
The 2020 CMA Awards will air live on ABC on November 11.
In the year that paused for many of us, we turned to country music. Thank you to my peers for these nominations. To @hozier for amplifying this song even higher with your otherworldly talent & to @mirandalambert for having me on this stellar lineup. WOMEN CLEANED UP THIS YEAR!🧹 pic.twitter.com/UPn4CpYMUJ
ABC/Randy Holmes(VIRGINIA) –Johnny Depp is seeking to delay the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard so that he can shoot the third installment in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts series.
