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Can you XFL what The Rock is cooking? Dwayne Johnson now an owner of football league

• No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — Add “league owner” to the growing list of job titles earned by former wrestler-turned movie star, TV producer, and spirits entrepreneur Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

The superstar, along with his ex-wife and production company partner Dany Garcia and the investment company Redbird Capital Partners have purchased the XFL football league. 

Originally created in 2001, the league, which was owned by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, restarted play earlier this year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused games to be cancelled, and the league filed for bankruptcy.

In a statement, Johnson said, “The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and [Redbird’s] Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”

Johnson himself played football in college, but lack of playing time and injuries prevented him from getting to the NFL, leading him to follow in his father’s footsteps in the family business of professional wrestling.

His Seven Bucks production company — named after the amount of money he had in his pocket when the Canadian Football League cut him in 1995 — has become a major Hollywood player, with hit TV and movie projects that have earned $10 billion worldwide at the box office.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NYC shuts down party boat with over 170 guests as COVID-19 cases continue to drop

• No Comments • National News

NYCSHERIFF/TwitterBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Officials say social distancing was not being enforced on the Liberty Bell and the boat did not have a license to serve alcohol.

New York City officials shut down a party boat with more than 170 people aboard, as the city strives to keep the coronavirus at bay.

Ronny Vargas and Alex Suazo, the owners of the Liberty Belle, were arrested Saturday night for violating the state’s ban on large crowds and for running a bar without a license, the New York City’s Sheriff’s Office said. The office also said that the captain of the boat, who was not identified, was issued a summons for not displaying its identification number.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said she alerted the sheriff after receiving complaints from residents who observed the boat out in the waters of Manhattan and were concerned about the large crowd.

Brewer noted on Twitter on Sunday that the city, which was once the epicenter of the pandemic, recorded no COVID-19 deaths that day.

“If we want to see MORE days with zero deaths and if we want a return to a life WITHOUT social distancing, that means we need to avoid reckless behavior like booze cruises that put fellow New Yorkers at risk, no matter how much we miss our friends and meeting new people,” she tweeted.

Empire Cruises, the company that runs the Liberty Belle, didn’t immediately return messages for comment. The boat owners were given a summons to appear in court for their violation.

Empire Cruises touts that the Liberty Belle, which is a classicly styled riverboat, can fit a maximum of 600 guests standing and has “four ample decks including three indoor decks and three outdoor decks,” according to Empire Cruise’s website.

The incident marks the latest in a series of crackdowns of large-scale gatherings and parties instituted by state and city officials in the last few weeks. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 executive order, crowds of non-essential workers are capped at 50 people at indoor events.

On Sunday alone, the State Liquor Authority issued violations for 24 city establishments that violated the social distancing guidelines, according to the New York Governor’s office.

The state is also investigating several large parties and concerts including the July 25 outdoor charity concert in the Hamptons that drew an estimated 2,000 people.

New York City has had 222,330 total coronavirus cases and 18,915 confirmed COVID-19 deaths as of Aug. 2, according to the city’s Health Department.

The seven-day average of newly reported cases in the city was 281 as of Aug. 2 compared to the peak seven-day average of 5,426 on April 15, according to the Health Department.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Luke and Caroline Bryan emotionally drop nephew off at college: "Been dreading this day for years"

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LALuke Bryan and his wife Caroline bid an emotional farewell to their nephew Til Cheshire as he leaves for college. 

Caroline shared an emotional post on Instagram over the weekend revealing that the couple dropped off their 18-year-old nephew at a college in the couple’s native state of Georgia.

She announced the news with a photo that shows her giving her nephew a heartfelt embrace, alongside the caption, “I left a big piece of my heart today in Georgia. Been dreading this day for years, but I guess it’s time for Til to fly. Still can’t handle it right now! Good luck in college my sweet boy.” 

The country superstar is also emotional over the major life change, writing in the comment section, “I keep looking to see if his truck is parked next to mine,” accompanied by a crying face emoji.  

The couple adopted Til and his sisters Jordan and Kris after the death of the singer’s brother-in-law Ben Lee Cheshire in 2014. Ben was married to Luke’s sister Kelly, who passed away suddenly in 2007. 

Luke and Caroline also share two sons, Bo and Tate. 

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

Tom Hopper says 'The Umbrella Academy' comic creator is "really pleased" with cast's characters

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Christos Kalohoridis/NetflixThe second season of The Umbrella Academy is now available for streaming on Netflix.

The show, which is adaptation of the comic book series created by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, follows the Hargreeves children, each of whom has a unique superpower and a unique personality, to boot. Season two has the very disparate siblings scattered through the 1960s, where they need to come together to save the world…again. 

Speaking to Rock Sound, actor Tom Hopper, who plays the super-strong Luther Hargreeves, says it was critical for him to follow the vision that Way saw for his character.

“I remember after reading the comics, it was very important for me that whatever it was that Gerard saw in these characters going into the TV show, it respected his initial vision,” Hopper explains.

“It was important for me to talk to him about the ways that I was going or the way that I saw it was the same way that he saw it,” the actor continues. “Fortunately it was and I think he’s been really pleased with everyone’s version of the characters that he came up with in the first place.”

Hopper adds that he was able to learn more about Way as a person while working together on set.

“I’ve chatted to Gerard since a couple of times more about other things,” Hopper says. “That’s the weird thing. When you’re immersed in the show you want to talk about other things other than the show. Which is actually really nice to get to know Gerard as who he is as person more than a guy who has created the comic books.”

By Josh Johnson
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kiefer Sutherland says it was "thrilling" to star in Quibi's new series 'The Fugitive'

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The Fugitive is back, this time in short form. The crime drama from the 1960s, which became a movie starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in the 90s, is now a series on Quibi starring Kiefer Sutherland as a police captain trying to track down a subway bomber.

From 24 to Designated Survivor, it’s a world in which Sutherland loves to play, and he talked to ABC Audio about why he gravitates towards these kinds of roles.

“There’s just something so dynamic about it,” he says. “It allows you as an actor to hit very high highs and very low lows that most people, you know, in an office or whatever would not experience. And so it’s a thrilling kind of part to play.”

In addition to the role being in Sutherland’s wheelhouse, the Emmy-Award winner explains that the series asks some some interesting questions that correlate with real life. 

“I think at the root of the story is that as on a societal level, we tend to rush to judgment before all the facts are out there. And I think if there was a time that that seems to be more prevalent now than ever before,” he reveals. “There’s a part of our legal system that is innocence until proven guilty and it’s a kind of great fable on that in hoping that our society does not rush to judgment.” 

The Fugitive premieres on Quibi August 3. 

By Danielle Long and Jason Nathanson
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.