Usher Pens Powerful Op-Ed Advocating for Juneteenth to Become a National Holiday

Coachella and Stagecoach festivals have dropped all COVID-19 safety precautions ahead of both events making a return this spring.Coachella will take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California between April 15-17 and 22-24, while Stagecoach will be held at the same venue between April 29-May 1.Previously, the festivals’ promoter Goldenvoice had announced that proof of vaccination against COVID-19 would no longer be required. Now, it has also dropped entry requirements including a negative test taken in the 72 hours prior to attendance and the wearing of masks.The health and safety guidance on the websites for both events has now been updated to confirm that the new policy is “in accordance with local guidelines”.

BTS member, V, has tested positive for COVID-19.Weverse, the official fan source for the K-pop group, shared a statement from Big Hit Music about V's diagnosis Tuesday.«V visited the hospital Tuesday afternoon on the 15th after experiencing a mild sore throat and took the PCR test. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 tonight,» the statement began.

Hoda Kotb and her daughters had the sweetest Valentine’s Day surprise.“When you just get home from a long eye doctors appointment for the girls-- and look what is waiting at home! A valentines day Surprise courtesy of my sister Hala!,” the co-host captioned a post on her Instagram.In the video, Kotb and her daughters, Haley, 5, and Hope, 2, walk into a room filled with balloons. The proud mom takes one out of the bag as Haley exclaims, “It’s a unicorn.” In addition to the red and white balloons, there were cards and teddy bears.

Foo Fighters have shared an unexpected new song, ‘March Of The Insane’, which takes the band into unfamiliar territory – thrash metal.The track was quietly released earlier today (February 15) under the alias Dream Widow and features frontman Dave Grohl growling his way through the lyrics.“Sing in a villainous choir / Join in a chorus of pain,” Grohl sings on the track. “Rise in a ruinous army / Dance to the march of the insane”.In the YouTube description box, the track is said to be from Dream Widow’s “never released self-titled album”.

Alec Baldwin's lawyers released a statement just hours after Halyna Hutchins' estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him and the producers of, calling the «reckless» claims against them as «entirely false.»In a statement to ET, lawyers for Baldwin and the producers named in the lawsuit say Baldwin, Hutchins «and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a 'cold gun' — meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise.»The lawyers say the protocol «has worked on thousands of films, with millions of discharges, as there has never before been an incident on a set where an actual bullet harmed anyone.» The statement went on to say that «actors should be able to rely on armorers and prop department professionals, as well as assistant directors, rather than deciding on their own when a gun is safe to us.»«Any claim that Alec was reckless is entirely false,» the statement also said.In legal documents, obtained by ET, the Hutchins estate claims in the wrongful death suit that the «defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.»Some of the cost-cutting measures the estate claims Baldwin and production undertook included «hiring inexperienced and unqualified armorers or weapons masters, requiring the film’s armorer to split time as assistant props master, establishing and aggressively adhering to unreasonably rushed production schedules, and hiring

Dylan Dreyer is all about putting family first, as evidenced by her latest social media post celebrating Valentine's Day with her loved ones.MORE: Dylan Dreyer sparks fan response with backstage insight on the Today ShowThe Today star took to Instagram to post a picture of her "messy" Valentine's with her husband Brian Fichera and her three sons, all flopped on top of each other on the couch.WATCH: Dylan Dreyer reunites with Today co-stars"All my Valentines!!! Just one big perfectly messy ball of love #theboys #boscotoo," she captioned her post, also featuring her dog Bosco curled up in the corner as her two older sons also wore their special Christmas pajamas.Fans immediately began inundating the comments section with heart emojis and a resounding "aww", including co-host Sheinelle Jones.MORE: Dylan Dreyer’s video of mini-me son sparks overwhelming reactionOne wrote: "It goes so fast! Enjoy every messy minute," with another saying: "When they're grown and out of the house you'll wish your house is 'one big perfectly messy ball of love'. They don't look messy! Precious family.

a statement released on Tuesday afternoon. O’Rourke — a libertarian famed for his razor-sharp wit — notably skewered both Democrats and Republicans in print and on television. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,” O’Rourke famously wrote in 1991.

Prince Andrew.  As he retweeted an ITV news story about the case, Alex asked: “Is settling true justice?”The weather presenter was commenting on the news Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached a "settlement in principle" in the civil sex claim filed in the US, according to court documents. Ms Giuffre had been suing the Duke of York over claims he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17, something he has repeatedly denied. A letter submitted to the United States District Court on Tuesday showed the parties had reached a “settlement in principle” of an undisclosed sum, which is reported to be substantial. Piers Morgan, who used to host Good Morning Britain, has also weighed in on the settlement in his column in The Sun.“By paying a massive cheque to avoid a showdown in court, [Andrew]’s confirmed himself to be a snivelling little coward whose denials and demands weren’t worth the paper they were written on,” he wrote.“And we also know that by doing so, he has destroyed what’s left of his shattered reputation.”In the document written by Ms Giuffre's lawyer, David Boies, and Andrew’s lawyers, it was stated the duke would make a "substantial donation" to Ms Giuffre's charity which supports victims rights. It also said Prince Andrew "regrets his association with Jeffrey Epstein" and "commended" the bravery of Ms Giuffre and "other survivors".“Forgive me while I puke,” responded Piers.Football pundit Gary Lineker also commented on the case, retweeting an article with the caption: "The inevitable settlement,” alongside a wide-eyed emoji.  The letter continued: "Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterWarner Bros. argues in new court filings that it never agreed to an exclusively theatrical release for “The Matrix Resurrections,” and that Village Roadshow still owes $112.5 million in production expenses on the project.The studio is responding to a lawsuit filed last week, in which Village Roadshow alleged that Warner Bros. had breached its co-financing agreement by releasing the film simultaneously on HBO Max.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Sexy Beast” is back, and it’s part of a slate of six international scripted originals heading to Paramount Plus, Variety can reveal.The long-simmering “Sexy Beast” prequel series has evidently been resuscitated for the streamer after being scrapped for Paramount Network in 2020.The U.K.-originated show, based on the cult classic film of the same name, centers on the characters of Gal Dove and Don Logan (originally played by Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, respectively) as they descend into London’s criminal underbelly during the volatile 1990s.Paramount Plus describes the series as “a love story between two men — à la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” It’s produced by Chapter One and VIS, with showrunner Michael Caleo (“The Sopranos”) attached. Also heading to Paramount Plus out of the U.K.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue is getting closer to realizing its dream of using TV advertising to talk to viewers in a style more akin to a one-to-one conversationThe future of the humble TV ad has long been described as the following: New data and interactive technology will trim the practice of throwing a diaper ad or a car spot at every single member of the audience. Instead, more marketers will use addressable technology that allows them to beam different ads to different household, all in the same “slot” in a commercial break.Horizon, the independent media-investment company, will help deploy addressable ads in national linear inventory on networks owned by A+E Networks and Fox Corp.

Maluma appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to chat about his acting debut in the rom-com Marry Me alongside HOLA! USA Latina Powerhouse Jennifer Lopez and actor Owen Wilson. While talking to Ellen, the Colombian singer shared details of his first day on set and how he ended up yelling at his co-star. The singer also opened up his thoughts on marriage, revealing what kind of wedding he would want —if he ever walks down the aisle.

Drew Barrymore is putting in the work. The actress says she is proud of herself for working up the courage to start dating again, and while her first try didn’t go as expected, Drew is definitely making progress.During a recent episode of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show,’ the host detailed a recent encounter she had with a man she saw while going on a walk in New York City.The Hollywood star said she was in Central Park over the weekend and noticed a man who “was really cute,” so she decided to start following him.“I was wearing a full balaclava so the only thing that’s out is my peepers,“ she explained, adding that she approached the mystery man and said, “Hi, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”Drew asked him if he was single, to which he responded hesitant, so she asked “are you gay?” adding that she has “no gaydar” and because she is “so gay man adjacent and everyone around me is gay and I always fall for the wrong guy.”So when the man said “no,” she went on to remove her hood and balaclava, however he didn’t recognize her.

The Amber Ruffin Show” will return with new episodes Feb. 25, Peacock announced Tuesday.The critically acclaimed late-night variety series is hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin, who made history as the first Black woman to write for a late-night network TV show when she joined the writer’s room of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in 2014. Ruffin’s own show premiered in 2020, as one of the first originals for the Peacock streaming platform.

Mindy Kaling has a special new role. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announced on Tuesday that the actress, writer and producer is the official ambassador for PanCAN PurpleStride, the organization’s annual fundraiser that raises money for pancreatic cancer research.Why Mindy Kaling almost turned down her Vogue cover“I am so happy to be working with PanCAN again and to participate in PurpleStride. I miss my mother every day, but when I can do anything to help the fight against pancreatic cancer, I feel like I am honoring her memory,” The Office alum, 42, said in a press release.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is mourning the death of his friend, Ivan Reitman. The Czechoslovak-born Canadian film and television director, producer and screenwriter died ‘unexpectedly’ in his California home Saturday night at age 75. The Ghostbusters director and actor worked together on Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop.

What shoes are fit for an 89-year-old woman trekking nearly 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. to fight for Juneteenth, the day slavery ended in America, to be recognized as a national holiday?

Usher is using his platform to talk about the importance of Juneteenth, specifically, why it should be recognized as an official national holiday.June 19 commemorates the true ending of slavery in the United States. While Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan.

Usher is joining fellow music artists such as Pharrell Williams and Taylor Swift in calling for June 19 — a.k.a. Juneteenth — to become a national holiday in the U.S., commemorating the day that all slaves in the U.S. were finally freed.

Deadline reports that Williams and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris are in talks with Netflix to creator a feature-length musical telling the story.The pair are reportedly still at very early stages on the project but we’re already excited to see what they’ll create together.Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery.There have always been calls to make the date a holiday across all states in the USA, but with the spotlight being on Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd’s death, several stars have shown their support for it finally being made official.In Williams’ home state Virginia, he joined Governor Northam to

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmUPDATED with more companies: UTA said Friday that it will annually recognize and make a paid holiday of Juneteenth, commemorating the June 19, 1865 date when slavery ended in the U.S. The date will be considered a paid holiday for all agency staff, and I expect more Hollywood agencies and studios will follow suit.Endeavor also said today it will make Juneteenth an official holiday for its U.S.