ABC AudioOn Wednesday, Garth Brooks revealed he’s officially taken home an Entertainer of the Year trophy for the very last time.
Reiterating he’s not retiring or slowing down — and still hopes to be competitive in other categories — the superstar admitted he’s been thinking along these lines ever since winning a record seventh title in November.
Initially, it looked like the Country Music Association might be on the road to giving him an emeritus honor at CMA Fest. But after the annual celebration had to be cancelled because of COVID-19, CMA ultimately decided they could not “pull [Garth] out of [the running for] an award.”
So, “with all the gratefulness, [all] the love in the world,” he did it himself.
“There was one tweet in there that really stuck in my head,” he explained, “that said, ‘Hey, man, this guy, why doesn’t he step down and just have the Entertainer for the next generation?’ [I] one-hundred-percent agreed…”
“The last thing I want to do is seem ungrateful to the CMAs and everybody that has voted for us…” Garth added. “My number is seven… And we feel very lucky with seven.”
“It’s time for somebody else to hold that award, [to] know what that Entertainer feels like. Because they’re all out there busting their butts,” he said of his contemporaries.
After a year when touring was mostly sidelined by the global pandemic, Garth points out it should be an interesting race.
“This is probably the perfect year for it,” he reflected, “because I don’t know how they’re gonna judge Entertainer this year… I feel very grateful. And for twenty-five years, you get to be the Entertainer of the Year. So that’s been pretty sweet.”
(MINNEAPOLIS) — A masked, umbrella-wielding man accused of helping incite riots and looting in the aftermath of George Floyd’s police-involved death has been identified as a member of a white supremacist group that aimed to stir racial tensions amid largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protests, according to police.
The 32-year-old, dubbed “Umbrella Man,” was captured in a viral video back in May wearing a black hooded outfit and a black gas mask as he smashed store windows with a sledgehammer and encouraged people to steal, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week.
His actions quickly led to the first of several arson fires that police say transformed peaceful protests into local danger zones, the affidavit said. He’s also accused of spray painting the words “free s— for everyone zone” on the doors of an AutoZone before he allegedly smashed in the windows. The store was broken into and set on fire shortly after, the affidavit said.
“This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city,” Erika Christensen, a Minneapolis Police Department arson investigator, wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week. “Until the actions of … ‘Umbrella Man,’ the protests had been relatively peaceful.”
“The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension. Your affiant believes that this individual’s sole aim was to incite violence,” she added.
Investigators said the suspect is associated with the Aryan Cowboys, which the warrant describes as a “known prison gang out of Minnesota and Kentucky.” The Anti-Defamation League lists the Aryan Cowboys as a white supremacist prison and street gang, although the group’s Facebook page claims it doesn’t care “about a person’s color.”
No charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing.
Christensen, the arson investigator, said police identified the suspect after an emailed tip last week. The tipster described the man as someone who “wanted to sow discord and racial unrest by breaking out the windows and writing what he did on the double red doors.”
Police did not reveal exactly how they corroborated the tip, but they said the man also was present during “an incident in Stillwater Minnesota where a Muslim woman was racially harassed by a group of motorcycle club members wearing Aryan Cowboy leather vests.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warned residents of the possibility that white supremacists could be trying take advantage of increased racial tensions, but those claims were never proven.
“In the last few days, both our city and state law enforcement capacities have been overwhelmed by simple math — an overwhelming ratio of rioters that even our unified effort has been unable to push back,” Frey tweeted on May 30 as the state deployed the National Guard to help calm the streets. “We are now confronting white supremacists, members of organized crime, out of state instigators, and possibly even foreign actors [seeking] to destroy and destabilize our city and our region.”
Floyd’s death ignited waves of protests throughout Minnesota, the U.S. and eventually the world as cellphone video captured the 46-year-old Black man gasping his last breaths as a white Minneapolis police officer pinned his neck to the ground with his knee.
The four Minneapolis Police Department officers involved in the incident all were fired, arrested and charged within a week amid protests and calls from anti-police brutality advocates.
They all have pled not guilty. ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(ATLANTA) — Three inmates in Georgia are being praised after they came to the rescue of a deputy who lost consciousness and fell to the ground, splitting his head open, officials said.
“We are deeply appreciative to these three inmates for the courage, determination and kindness they displayed. … These inmates had no obligation whatsoever to render aid to a bleeding, vulnerable deputy, but they didn’t hesitate,” the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The deputy, who was not named, fell ill while supervising the jailhouse unit. It was not clear what happened to him, but the inmates noticed he “appeared to be feeling poorly” and as they kept an eye on him, saw that he fell to the ground and split his head open, according to the sheriff’s office.
The inmates, who were also not named, began pounding on their doors and soon were joined by the entire unit.
The deputy later told officials that while he did not realize he’d been unconscious, he became aware of the pounding and thought an inmate needed help, so he rose to his feet and pressed the control panel to open the cell doors, according to the sheriff’s office.
He then lost consciousness again.
The three inmates who had initially been watching him came to his aid and radioed for help.
“We’re happy to report that our deputy survived the harrowing incident and is recovering at home until he can return to duty,” the sheriff’s office said.
UMG NashvilleOver the past couple of years, Lauren Alaina has cemented her role as one of country music’s most in-demand duet partners, appearing as a guest artist on songs by the likes of Kane Brown, Dustin Lynch and Chris Young.
Now that Lauren’s got plans to put out a new EP in September, it’s her turn to call in some outside vocal help.
She’s tapped her friend and former duet partner Jon Pardi to cut the title track of her next project, Getting Over Him. Lauren previously collaborated with Jon on “Don’t Blame it On Whiskey,” off his most recent album.
“I’ve done duets with other people for their projects, but I have never done any for my own,” the singer says. “I’ve got a duet with Pardi on his album, and then he loved this one [‘Getting Over Him.’] His energy is so amazing. I can’t believe I have a rebound song — but I do!”
Lauren’s EP also features a duet with Lukas Graham called “What Do You Think Of?”
The six-song project is duet out in full on September 4, but Lauren’s sharing one of its tracks, “Run,” on Friday.
Here’s the track list:
“Run” “If I Was a Beer” “Bar Back” “Getting Over Him” (duet with Jon Pardi) “See You in Your Hometown” “What Do You Think Of?” (duet with Lukas Graham)
Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — While it certainly appeared this was a possibility, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has informed its members that this year’s 72nd Annual Emmy Awards is officially going virtual.
Variety broke the news that the organization informed yesterday’s brand-new nominees of the change, noting they should prepare to party from home.
“As you’ve probably guessed, we’re not going to be asking you to come to the Microsoft Theatre in downtown LA on September 20th,” the industry trade quotes the letter. “This year, it’s still going to be TV industry’s biggest night out… but we’ll come to you!”
And while the run-up to awards season usually sees celebs getting in their spa time, cleanses, and seaweed wraps, the Academy told nominees there will be a lot of technical assistance, “to make you look fabulous.”
“We are assembling a top notch team of technicians, producers and writers to work closely with [host]Jimmy Kimmel and with you and your team, to make sure that we can film with you (and loved ones or whomever else you choose to be with) at your home, or another location of your choice,” the letter reportedly reads. “We’re going to make you look fabulous – we’re exploring the cutting edge of technology to allow to use good cameras and lighting and look forward to working with you to produce your unique ‘on screen’ moments.'”
The 72nd Emmy Awards will will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 20 starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.
ABC AudioOn Wednesday, Garth Brooks revealed he’s officially taken home an Entertainer of the Year trophy for the very last time. 
