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Chris Stapleton postpones first three stops on this year’s All-American Road Show to 2022

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ABCFans hoping to catch Chris Stapleton live in concert this spring will have to wait: The singer has rescheduled the first three tour dates of his All-American Road Show to April 2022.

The change comes amid continuing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought public live music performances to a screeching halt last March. Despite ongoing vaccinations and declining case numbers, live, in-person concerts have yet to make a large-scale return.

Chris issued a statement this week regarding the affected show dates, which were planned to take place in the Ohio cities of Toledo and Columbus, as well as Lexington, Kentucky. He announced the rescheduled dates for shows in all three cities, which will take place in 2022 on April 20, April 21 and April 23. Additionally, Chris indicated that all of the performing acts scheduled to appear at those shows — Willie Nelson & Family, Sheryl Crow, Margo Price and Yola — will all be there for the rescheduled dates next year.

As of now, the remainder of the 2021 All-American Road Show dates are still listed on the singer’s calendar. The first stop on the trek is scheduled to take place in June in San Bernardino, California.

Chris’ upcoming tour was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, before being postponed as a result of the pandemic.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chinese government warns broadcasters about Oscars telecast over Chloe Zhao, anti-government documentary

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Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved(LOS ANGELES) — The Chinese government has warned its media outlets to “stagger” and censor the April 25 Academy Awards telecast, after both Nomadland director Chloe Zhao and an anti-Chinese government documentary earned nominations. 

According to Bloomberg, the government dictated that Chinese networks not run the telecast live, and to be ready to excise moments related to Zhao and the documentary Do Not Split.

Zhao, who’s Chinese and the first Asian filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director, apparently made comments critical of the country.

Short-form documentary nominee Do Not Split deals with the anti-government protests that brought millions to the streets of Hong Kong before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bloomberg points out that while Zhao was born in Beijing but grew up in both London and the U.S., her father was a top executive at a Chinese state-owned company, and her mother is a famous comic actress there. In a 2013 interview, which has since been edited to remove the comment, Zhao called her native country “a place where there are lies everywhere.”

While Zhao’s Nomadland triumphs at the Golden Globes were initially touted on Chinese social media outlets like Weibo and elsewhere, when the interview was found by internet sleuths, hashtag bans on her name and Nomadland began.  The film, which stars Oscar nominee Frances McDormand, was supposed to be released on April 23 in China, but The Guardian and other outlets reported all references to the film — and to Zhao, who had been dubbed “the pride of China — have vanished there.

What remains to be seen is what will be the fate of the Zhao-directed Marvel Studios’ pandemic-delayed, unreleased film The Eternals in the lucrative Chinese movie market.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disneyland set to reopen with limited capacity on April 30

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ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — After a year of being either partially or entirely closed, Disneyland will reopen on April 30, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced Wednesday.

Chapek said the park will reopen with a limited capacity and observing guidance from California officials. The state previously advised the park to operate at 15% capacity of its fire code occupancy.

“We’ve been able to prove that we can do this and welcome our guests back in a responsible way,” Chapek said.

Chapek added that guests have been “very cooperative overall” when it comes to wearing masks, which they will be asked to continue doing until further notice.

“The day all of us have long been waiting for is almost here,” Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, said in a press release. “We’re excited to have more than 10,000 cast members returning to work as we get ready to welcome our guests back to this happy place.”

To help promote social distancing, attendance will be managed through a new reservation system and, until further notice, only California residents will be able to visit.

All of Disneyland — including the main park, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney District — closed its gates indefinitely on March 14 of last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last July, Downtown Disney District has been opened in a limited capacity, and Disney California Adventure is beginning a limited-capacity ticketed experience beginning March 18.

It was announced on March 5 that Disneyland could open as early as April 1 since Orange County, where the park is located in Anaheim, dropped to the red tier of pandemic precautions.

Disneyland also has been operating as a mass vaccination site since January.  Disney World — located in Orlando, Florida — has been open since last July.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

By Carson Blackwelder
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Granger + Amber Smith share the journey that led to pregnancy two years after son's death

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Jason Kempin/ACMA2019/Getty Images for ACMIt’s been a long and emotional road to pregnancy for Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, who announced last week that they’re expecting a baby boy in August.

The couple, who are also parents to nine-year-old daughter London and seven-year-old son Lincoln, lost their youngest child, three-year-old River, in a tragic drowning accident at the family’s home in 2019.

One year after River’s death, the couple decided to try for another baby — a decision that was complicated by the fact that Amber had undergone a tubal ligation procedure after giving birth to River, thinking that their family was complete.

In an hour-long documentary uploaded this week to their YouTube channel, The Smiths, Amber takes fans behind the scenes of her IVF journey, explaining each stage of the process behind her efforts to get pregnant.

One especially heartrending moment from the film happens when Amber finally gets the good news from her doctor that she’s pregnant, only to experience a miscarriage weeks later. She recounted her painful story to her fans, pointing out that her faith was bringing her peace.

“There is a purpose for this. There is a purpose for this pain and this loss, and I know and I’m trusting that God is gonna bring good from this,” Amber says. “I’m only sharing this because I don’t think it’s talked about a lot.”

The couple had one more viable embryo from their IVF procedure, and happily, the second implantation worked.

When they finally announced their news last week, the couple appeared on CBS This Morning to discuss the experience.

“[We want to spread] a message of hope, restoration, faith and redemption. Because that’s what this story is for us,” Granger said at the time.


By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Hello, Jerry: 'Seinfeld' gets the Funko treatment

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Photo courtesy Funko, Castle Rock Entertainment, WBEI(NEW YORK) — The beloved “show about nothing,” Seinfeld, is coming to the world of Funko toys. 

The bobble-headed pop culture collectibles line that has immortalized seemingly everything and everyone, from Transformers to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, has has unveiled an upcoming Seinfeld line. 

Not only will fans soon be able to get their hands on toy versions of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer, plus other characters from the sitcom phenomenon — like The Soup Nazi and Newman — but there will also be little playsets for them that you can assemble to recreate Jerry’s apartment. 

Funko has apparently gone all-in on everything Seinfeld, from key chains, purses, backpacks and even t-shirts, all featuring the Funko-ized version of the characters, with some emblazoned with the show’s catchphrases, like “No soup for you!”

You can pre-order the toys now.  If history’s any guide, they’ll sell out fast.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.