BMLG RecordsRiley Green is forging ahead with his next musical chapter. The singer has set a release date for If It Wasn’t for Trucks, an EP that he says is a first look into the music he’s working on for his next full-length album.
He made the project while quarantined at home in Jacksonville, Alabama, using his time off the road to get back in touch with the traditional country foundation that’s always been at the heart of his music.
“I’ve been using my time off to do a lot of writing and although we can’t play music for fans face-to-face right now, I’m glad I can still share some new music with everyone,” Riley explains. “I hope to see everyone back on the road soon.”
Though the singer has had to scrap his touring plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he does have one important performance coming up. Riley will give a virtual performance at the 2020 ACM Awards, where he recently won the title of New Male Artist of the Year. Host Keith Urban surprised him with the news over video chat ahead of next month’s ceremony.
If It Wasn’t for Trucks is comprised of five new tracks, and will be out on September 11.
ABC/Gavin BondLuke Bryan is set to make a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night, thanks to a special request from singer-songwriter Jason Derulo. Jason’s currently filling in while show host Jimmy Kimmel is out for the summer.
Luke and Jason’s cross-genre friendship dates back to 2015, when the two stars first teamed up over the Smule karaoke singing app for a rendition of Jason’s “Want to Want Me.”
They subsequently reunited for a CMT Crossroads episode the following year, which won them a CMT Music Award trophy in 2017.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Luke, who dropped his seventh studio album, Born Here Live Here Die Here, early in August. In fact, his performance of that project’s title track is set to re-air on Late Night with Seth Myers on Friday.
The country superstar also announced his return as an American Idol judge last week, along with fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
(NEW ORLEANS) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that the city has filed suit against the property developers who were overseeing the construction of a Hard Rock hotel that collapsed last year and killed three workers.
The collapse occurred Oct. 12, 2019 in the city’s historic French Quarter. The damage was so extensive, it took about 10 months to recover two of the victims’ bodies.
“We will continue to hold the building’s ownership accountable and stand with our families to seek justice. This lawsuit is a step towards doing just that,” Cantrell said in a statement.
The developers, 1031 Canal, were one of a handful of defendants named in the suit. 1031 Canal did not immediately respond to an ABC News’ request for comment. The company’s contractors were also named, including Heaslip Engineering LLC, which was fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the collapse. A representative for Heaslip couldn’t be reached.
New Orleans City Attorney Sunni LeBeouf said that the city preferred not to engage in litigation, but did so “only because the property owners have failed to right the wrongs they have caused.”
The city is seeking unspecified damages. The mayor’s office said responding to the collapse cost taxpayers more than $12 million.
“The City has not been compensated in any way for the harm it has suffered in response to this disaster, and this must be addressed immediately in the interest of the people of New Orleans,” said a press release from Cantrell’s office.
The brother of one of the construction workers who died told ABC News that his family was losing patience with the recovery process about 10 months after the collapse, when his brother’s remains still were buried inside.
“We’re tired of being patient,” Frank Wimberly, the brother of Quinnyon Wimberly, said. He noted that the date of the remains recovery was set for July 1, but by the end of the month it still hadn’t occurred.
On Aug. 8, Wimberly’s remains finally were removed. Cantrell’s office didn’t comment on the delay, directing ABC News to 1031 Canal. Officials previously said it was not safe for workers to enter the building to remove the bodies. The body of the third victim, Jose Ponce Arreola, was removed shortly thereafter. The other victim, Anthony Magrette, was removed shortly after the collapse.
OSHA cited the “willful” and “serious” violations of Heaslip Engineering LLC as the main reasons for the building’s collapse, according to documents filed by the federal agency. 1031 Canal was not cited in the OSHA complaint.
The alleged violations include workers being exposed to falling materials and building collapse, a lack of a health and safety program, and design flaws that affected the structural integrity of the building, according to OSHA. Heaslip Engineering LLC was fined $154,214.
James Heaslip, founder of the company, which was the principal engineer on the Hard Rock project, did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
An attorney for the company told NOLA.com that OSHA’s conclusions were “unwarranted.”
“We believe OSHA’s conclusions are unwarranted, not supported by the facts and beyond the jurisdiction of OSHA’s statutory authority,” Kelly Theard, an attorney at DeutschKerrigan LLC, told NOLA.com. “Heaslip unequivocally denies any ‘willful’ or ‘serious’ wrongdoing, and will vigorously contest all of the citations through the procedures required by OSHA.”
“Bring It On” – Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The pop culture phenomenon Bring It On recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and the movie’s original stars, Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union, feel that it’s time for a sequel.
While many beloved tv series and movies are being rebooted or getting the sequel treatment, the two leading ladies believe that, in order to continue Bring It On‘s story, it has to be just right and make sense.
Speaking with the movie’s director Peyton Reed and writer Jessica Bendinger in a virtual reunion of sorts hosted by the Oscars via Zoom on Tuesday, Dunst and Union began pitching ideas about what a potential future installment could look like.
“Maybe we’re like co-heads of the PTA. I don’t know,” offered Gabrielle, who also noted how amazed she is that Bring It On still has a cultural impact despite being two decades old.
Maintaining the franchise’s pop culture status in a possible sequel was a must, the two actresses agreed.
While Dunst enjoyed Union’s suggestion, she felt that the movie could also draw inspiration from another major cheerleading phenomenon and pitched, “Or we run a cheer school like Cheer,” in reference to the smash hit Emmy-nominated Netflix docuseries.
The 38-year-old actress added that, while they won’t be the in uniform or competing in the sequel, their characters would still be on the mat calling the shots like Cheer‘s head coach Monica Aldama.
“I feel like it’d be fun if we…I mean, it has to be a competition against somebody now,” expanded Dunst.
It’s unknown if a possible Bring It On sequel has been given the green light as the crew remained tight-lipped if something was in the works. However, as seen by Dunst and Union’s little brainstorming session, it seems the team is very excited about the possibility.
Courtesy of the Academy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music has announced the first round of artists scheduled to perform during this year’s ACM Awards ceremony. Performances will take place across three iconic Nashville stages.
Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs and Jimmie Allen are among those who will perform from the Bluebird Cafe. Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett (with Jon Pardi), Kelsea Ballerini and Gabby Barrett will play on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium.
The third Music City venue to host the ACM Awards is the Grand Ole Opry. No performances from that stage have yet been announced, but more details, including information about additional performers and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The ACM has already announced that Riley Green and Tenille Townes will perform during the ceremony, as they’re this year’s winners in the categories of New Male Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year.
Keith Urban, who’s the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, will host the event in 2020.
Earlier this week, the ACM announced that their show is going entirely virtual this year as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing regulations also caused the ceremony to be postponed from its usual April date, and moved to Nashville from its typical Las Vegas venue.
The 2020 ACM Awards will air on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET.
BMLG RecordsRiley Green is forging ahead with his next musical chapter. The singer has set a release date for If It Wasn’t for Trucks, an EP that he says is a first look into the music he’s working on for his next full-length album. 
