Masked Speaker: Prank Queen

20 years ago an immature prank went so horribly wrong, that it made the news and today’s Masked Speaker has lived with that regret ever since. We’re the first people she’s ever told about it and you can hear it all in the podcast!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phone Tap: Motel Cheater

One of our listeners asked us to prank his wife who runs the front desk at the motel they own! She hates awkward confrontation so we’re gonna make our personal issues her business in a brand new Phone Tap!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorde takes you to the river in latest cover off 'Stop Making Sense' tribute

A24 Music

Lorde has premiered her take on “Take Me to the River” for the upcoming tribute to Talking Heads‘ classic 1984 concert film and live album, Stop Making Sense.

“Take Me to the River” was originally recorded by soul legend Al Green in 1974 and then covered by Talking Heads in 1978. The Talking Heads version became the band’s highest charting single at the time, and a live recording is included on Stop Making Sense.

In a statement, Lorde shares that she wanted her “Take Me to the River” cover to reflect when her mom first showed her a Talking Heads video on YouTube when she was 12 years old.

“It’s my interpretation of that pixelated spiritual experience,” Lorde says. “We did it fast, I didn’t let myself tidy it up too much, it had to feel young and imperfect, the peeling posters, the jaw of acne.”

You can listen to Lorde’s “Take Me to the River” now via digital outlets.

The Stop Making Sense tribute also includes Paramore‘s cover of “Burning Down the House” as well as contributions from The National, Miley Cyrus, girl in red and The Linda Lindas.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Congo displacement reaches 'devastating level' as violence escalates, aid groups warn

GUILLEM SARTORIO/Getty Images

(LONDON) — Almost a million people have been forced to flee their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of the year following an upsurge in violence in the east of the Central African nation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, has announced.

Humanitarian agencies are raising alarm at the “humanitarian and medical toll of the violence,” saying the situation has reached a “devastating level” as thousands of weapon-wounded civilians pour in to hospitals in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and surrounding areas.

In a dramatic resurgence of violence, the March 23 Movement armed rebel group has been expanding its territory and advancing towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, forcing thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire to flee as fighting intensifies between M23, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and various other armed groups.

Xavier Collard de Macquerh, head of programs at the International Committee of the Red Cross, told ABC News that the situation is dire and “we are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.”

“People are experiencing loss in a repetitive manner, displaced several times in a row,” he said.

Collard de Macquerh says moving frontlines are triggering a wave of displacement, hospitals in Goma supported by the ICRC receiving more and more wounded civilians. “We are receiving more and more weapon-wounded and seeing a sharp increase in those wounded by shrapnel, explosives, which is a major concern.”

Collard de Macquerh told ABC News many civilians are also fleeing north to hard-to-access areas for humanitarian organizations due to security.

“People are in need of access to basics such as food, water, hygiene and access to health,” he told ABC News over the phone from Kinshasa, calling on armed actors to take all possible precautions to protect civilians caught in the crossfire.

According to the World Food Programme, around a quarter of the Central African nation’s population is facing “crisis levels of hunger or worse,” with many living in poor conditions with no access to food, education or health services. It’s a conflict-driven hunger crisis, WFP said in a statement last week.

Almost 300,000 people have arrived in Goma and its surroundings since “violent clashes” enveloped the town of Sake in Masisi territory in February, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said at a press briefing in Geneva. The mass displacement has caused spontaneous and official displacement to “swell” as civilians desperately seek refuge from “indiscriminate bombing and other human rights abuses.”

The DRC now stands as the second-largest displacement crisis globally, second only to Sudan, the U.N. said, with over 7.1 million people internally displaced, including 800,000 in the last three months.

“Close to 10 million people are on the move,” said Saltmarsh. “Poverty and hunger affect a quarter of the population or 25.4 million people. The spread of cholera and other infectious diseases pose significant threats to the populations health.”

International Childrens charity Save the Children said the violence has also closed over 500 schools in the North Kivu region, creating chaos for children and “putting them at risk of being recruited by armed forces.” There have been at least two cases of teachers being kidnapped.

The U.S. has called on warring parties to turn to the Luanda Process.

“There is no military-only solution to the crisis in eastern DRC,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood said in a briefing to the U.N. Security Council. “The United States strongly supports the efforts led by regional actors to resume the Nairobi and Luanda processes, which offer the most viable paths toward resolving this 30-year conflict.”

“The United States calls on the leaders of Rwanda and the DRC to make the decision to pursue peace – for the sake of their people, the region, and the world,” the ambassador said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The dangers of disturbing videos: How to protect yourself and your family

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Videos and images of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore have become ubiquitous in the past few days and may cause strong emotions in some – but mental health professionals say there are some things you can do to help protect your mental health and cope with this tragedy in a healthy way.

“People can be vicariously traumatized from watching videos of disasters over and over again, especially kids and adolescents,” states Dr. George Everly, an associate professor of psychiatry and adjunct professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University.

For some people, witnessing an event that is particularly rare or out of the ordinary can be especially traumatizing, and can lead to conflicting messaging from different parts of the brain- such as the limbic system, which deals with memory and emotions like fear and anxiety, versus the pre-frontal cortex, an area that processes facts and logic.

“Over time, the human brain gets use to everyday threats, but when something novel and spectacular like this happens, it can go into survival mode, which is a protective mechanism,” Everly said. “But it’s important to slow down and look at the facts- let your brain see the numbers that show that this event, while spectacular and very tragic, is also exceedingly rare.”

For example, experts say it can be helpful to understand the statistics. From 1960 to 2015, there were only 35 bridge collapses in the entire world, leading to 342 deaths, as compared to the 3700 people that are killed daily in car crashes around the world, according to 2018 reports from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure and the World Health Organization.

“Also, try to resist the urge to look for someone to blame,” Everly said. “That is the brain trying to make sense out of something that, right now, doesn’t make sense, but ultimately only accentuates pessimism and doesn’t help us regain any control.”

Putting the bridge collapse into context for children and adolescents is also important, as they “might catastrophize the event in ways such as believing they must happen all the time, or that bad things might happen to them or their parents,” says Dr. Jyoti Kanwar, a psychiatrist with the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Decreasing their exposure to the images and videos by limiting screen time, and talking openly with kids about the facts of the disaster, are important first steps. Kanwar also recommends that parents show “comfort, support, and demonstrate resilience in the face of tough situations by going through your daily routine.”

The same advice holds true for adults who may be tempted to re-watch the tragic video and worry about bridges in their own communities: try to limit your screen time, review the facts and stick to your daily routines as much as possible, experts say.

If feelings of worry or anxiety are starting to impact wellness or daily functioning, Kanwar recommends talking with someone supportive about your fears and concerns.

“If you already have anxiety, talk with a psychotherapist to learn more strategies like exposure response prevention, cognitive behavioral therapy, developing mindfulness and being grateful for all the wonderful things in life despite this catastrophic event,” Kanwar said.

Everly adds, “Don’t surrender your happiness or your wellbeing to an event that is especially tragic, but remarkably rare.”

Dr. Julie Kollar MD, MPH is the Chief Resident of the Johns Hopkins General Preventive Medicine Residency Program, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shonda Rhimes reveals daughter started watching 'Grey's Anatomy'

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Shonda Rhimes‘ daughter is in for the ride of a lifetime.

The famed TV producer shared in an Instagram post that one of her three daughters recently started watching Grey’s Anatomy for the first time.

“My not so tiny human started watching @greysabc for the first time yesterday,” she wrote. “My brain is breaking.”

“I am dead. DEAD,” Rhimes continued. “But so glad she’s getting to see the women her mom created. #GreysAnatomy.”

Grey’s Anatomy, created by Rhimes, premiered on March 27, 2005, and is currently airing its milestone 20th season on ABC.

The series, the longest-running primetime medical drama, has given TV fans beloved female characters like Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzy Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) — and those are just the series regulars from season 1.

Someone tell Rhimes’ daughter to buckle up and prepare to have her heart broken — and put back together — over and over again: Remember that season 5 finale? Blue Post-It note, anyone?

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, with episodes streaming on Hulu the following day.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Baltimore's Key Bridge may have lacked collision protective measures for modern cargo ships: Experts

Via NTSB

(BALTIMORE) — In the wake of the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, engineering and infrastructure policy experts explained the critical need for bridge reform in the United States and an international standard for large cargo ships.

The Key Bridge partially collapsed early Tuesday morning after a massive cargo ship collided with one of the bridge’s support columns, sending vehicles into the Patapsco River below and leaving six people unaccounted for, according to officials.

The investigation into the cause of both the collision and the bridge collapse is ongoing, officials said.

Rick Geddes, infrastructure policy expert and director of the Cornell University Infrastructure Policy Program, weighed in on the infrastructure and safety of the Key Bridge.

“This disaster reveals how exposed America’s critical infrastructure is to sudden and devastating accidents as well as intentional destruction,” Geddes said in a statement to ABC News. “I think the bridge was not designed to take the force and the mass of an enormous cargo ship directly hitting one of the pylons,” Geddes said in an interview with ABC News.

Pylons, or piers, are the critical load-bearing components of cable-supported bridges, such as Baltimore’s Key Bridge, a 1.6-mile-long, continuous truss-style bridge, according to Geddes.

Modern protective measures for bridge piers include adding “fenders,” which are protection systems designed to protect the bridge from vessels transiting under or in the vicinity of the bridge, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Fenders on modern bridges include “dolphins,” which are large circular walls filled with material such as sand or concrete and “artificial islands,” armored artificial islands around the piers made of a sand core that is protected against wave and current action by armored slope protection, according to the Coast Guard.

However, it is not yet known whether or not the Baltimore Key Bridge had fenders at the time of the crash.

The Maryland Transportation Authority did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for a comment.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also weighed in on the bridge’s ability to withstand a massive cargo ship collision Wednesday, “What we do know is a bridge like this one completed in the 1970s was simply not made to withstand a direct impact on a critical support pier from a vessel that weighs about 200 million pounds,” he said during a press briefing.

“Right now, I think there’s a lot of debate taking place in the engineering community about whether or not any of those features could have had any role in a situation like this,” Buttigieg added.

The 984-feet-long and 157-feet-wide cargo ship — operated by Synergy Marine Group and named Dali — was moving at a speed of 8 knots, or about 9 mph, when it struck the bridge, according to officials.

“So it’s a tremendous force, that the bridge would have to be designed to absorb,” Geddes said, adding, “It clearly was not designed to take that.”

Construction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge began in 1972 and finished in March 1977, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).

Maria Lehman, former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, told ABC News that older bridges are not designed with the post Panama Canal expansion ship allowances in mind.

In 2016, the Panama Canal expansion project constructed pathways — on both the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the canal — that are 70 feet wider and 18 feet deeper, to accommodate larger cargo ships.

Lehman said because Baltimore’s Key Bridge was created with smaller cargo ships in mind, it was “inadequate for what we see with ships today.”

“Pier protection on long-span bridges that have been built within the last decade are in line with what you’re gonna need based on how heavy these new ships are,” Lehman said.

Lehman said the news of the Key Bridge collapse Tuesday reminded her of the 1980 Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in Tampa, Florida, which she said was a “very similar” bridge and spurred a “base standard for pier protection” in the United States.

In May 1980, the M/V Summit Venture freighter struck a support beam on the Skyway Bridge causing a major collapse that left 35 people dead. The now 44-year-old tragedy spurred changes to the engineering of bridges that have been built since, according to Lehman.

Three years after the Skyway Bridge incident, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration released a technical advisory titled “Pier Protection and Warning Systems for Bridges Subject to Ship Collisions”

In the 1983 advisory, the agency noted, “It may be extremely difficult to retrofit some existing bridge piers with protective systems. For this reason, it becomes particularly important to recognize the potential hazards from ship collisions and to locate and design piers on new bridges in such a way that the risks of collision are reduced to an acceptable level.”

Baltimore’s Key Bridge was constructed in 1977 and did not have the protected pier measures that bridges built in the decades since this advisory.

“Unless you’re doing a major retrofit of any piece of infrastructure, you don’t have to bring it up to code,” Lehman said, adding that the Key Bridge collapse is a “wake-up” call for better bridge infrastructure and reform.

“I think just like Sunshine Skyway was a wake-up call, I think this is the next wake-up call,” Lehman said, adding, “We’re going to have to take a look closely at the results of what happened, and then work on the plan. So it never happens again.”

In June 2023, Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) officials announced the construction of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Protection System.

“Our goal is to take preemptive measures to prevent a commercial vessel from striking one of the bridge towers, which could cause significant damage to the bridge infrastructure and disruptions to interstate travel,” Thomas J. Cook, executive director of the DRBA said in a press release.

The cost of the project is nearly $93 million, according to the release.

Rick Geddes hopes the devastation from the Key Bridge collapse will spur great reform in America’s bridge infrastructure safety.

“The real possibility of a massive container ship of this size, running into a bridge pylon, and causing the bridge collapse is no longer theoretical,” Geddes said. “I think a renewed effort to inspect and assess the state of a whole bunch of U.S. bridges will be the result of this accident.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82

Win McNamee/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 82 years old.

Lieberman died in New York City “due to complications from a fall,” his family said in a statement.

“His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed. Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest,” the statement read.

Lieberman, a prominent Jewish politician who represented Connecticut, was Al Gore’s running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2000. A political maverick who ultimately became an independent, he also nearly joined former Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential ticket as his running mate. The two were friends and were both defense hawks, advocating for a muscular U.S. posture abroad.

Lieberman became a player on the political scene again in recent years as the founding chair of the No Labels party, which is weighing launching a “unity ticket” in this year’s presidential race, though no major candidates have said they plan to join.

Lieberman “meant so much to so many,” No Labels said in a statement following his passing. “He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He was a senator and a statesman. He was the founding chairman and moral center of the No Labels movement.

“His unexpected passing is a profound loss for all of us,” the statement continued.

“Senator Lieberman was a singular figure in American political life who always put his country before party. He was a deeply principled and pragmatic leader who believed public service was a privilege and who dedicated his life to the betterment of others. As a four-term senator, he led passage of transformative bipartisan legislation that made America’s air and water cleaner, that made us safer after 9/11, and that expanded equality and opportunity for all,” the statement continued, in part.

“Senator Lieberman leaves behind a void that cannot be filled,” No Labels added. “But we are honored to have known him and we hope his family can find comfort in the difficult days ahead knowing the tremendous impact that he had.”

Lieberman’s funeral will be held Friday at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford, his family said.

Lieberman’s former running mate, Al Gore, released a statement on X saying he was “profoundly saddened.”

“I am profoundly saddened by the loss of Joe Lieberman. First and foremost, he was a man of devout faith and dedication to his family,” Gore’s statement read.

“Joe was a man of deep integrity who dedicated his life to serving his country. He was a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with. That’s why it came as no surprise to any of us who knew him when he’d start singing his favorite song: Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way.’ And doing things Joe’s way meant always putting his country and the values of equality and fairness first.

“His fierce dedication to these values was clear even as a young man. When he was about to travel to the South to join the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, he wrote: ‘I am going because there is much work to be done. I am an American. And this is one nation, or it is nothing.’ Those are the words of a champion of civil rights and a true patriot, which is why I shared that quote when I announced Joe as my running mate.

“It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail. I’ll remain forever grateful for his tireless efforts to build a better future for America,” Gore’s statement concluded.

Former President George W. Bush released a statement, calling Lieberman “one of the most decent people” he met in Washington.

“Laura and I are saddened by the loss of Joe Lieberman. Joe was as fine an American as they come and one of the most decent people I met during my time in Washington,” his statement read. “As a Democrat, Joe wasn’t afraid to engage with Senators from across the aisle and worked hard to earn votes from outside his party. He engaged in serious and thoughtful debate with opposing voices on important issues. And in both loss and victory, Joe Lieberman was always a gentleman. I’m grateful for Joe’s principled service to our country and for the dignity and patriotism he brought to public life. As Laura and I pray for Hadassah and the Lieberman family, we also pray that Joe’s example of decency guides our Nation’s leaders now and into the future.”

In a statement on X, former President Barack Obama expressed his condolences.

“Joe Lieberman and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but he had an extraordinary career in public service, including four decades spent fighting for the people of Connecticut. He also worked hard to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and helped us pass the Affordable Care Act. In both cases the politics were difficult, but he stuck to his principles because he knew it was the right thing to do. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to Hadassah and the Lieberman family,” his statement read.

Connecticut lawmakers honored Lieberman after news of his death broke.

“Connecticut is shocked by Senator Lieberman’s sudden passing. In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one. He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored. My thoughts are with Hadassah and the entire family,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“On world and national stages, he helped to define and frame an era of history,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement. “He was a fierce advocate, a man of deep conscience and conviction, and a courageous leader who sought to bridge gaps and bring people together. He was dedicated to family and faith, and he was a role model of public service. He never ceased listening to both friends and adversaries. He leaves an enduring legacy as a fighter for consumers, environmental values, civil rights, and other great causes of our time and he was tireless in working for Connecticut no matter how far or high he went.”

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who beat Lieberman in the 2006 Senate Democratic primary but then lost to him in the general election when Lieberman ran as an independent, said they had ideological differences but honored Lieberman as “a man of integrity and conviction” and that “we stayed in touch as friends in the best traditions of American democracy” after their race was over.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called his longtime friend’s passing “devastatingly sad.”

“Just heard of my dear friend Joe Lieberman’s passing. As I am just now leaving Israel, so many emotions. This is devastatingly sad. I feel fortunate to have been in his presence, traveling the world in support of America’s interests as we saw it,” Graham said in a statement.

“To Hadassah, I know your heart is broken, but please understand your legion of friends love you dearly. To the Lieberman family, we will be with you through this journey. I look forward to sharing more thoughts about this wonderful man and the incredible life he lived.

“The good news, he is in the hands of the loving God. The bad news, John McCain is giving him an earful about how screwed up things are,” Graham said, adding: “Rest in peace, my dear friend. From the Last Amigo.”

Lieberman was the first Jewish American on a major party’s presidential ticket and was known for his Jewish observance.

“Sen. Joe Lieberman was a true trailblazer, and represented the hopes, aspirations, and ideals of the Jewish community in the United States,” the Jewish Federations of North America wrote on X. “As the first member of the Jewish community to run on a major party presidential ticket, he broke barriers and showed us what was possible, and always did so while holding strong to his values and moral outlook. Jewish Federations mourn his passing, and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

The National Council of Jewish Women also mourned the loss of Lieberman, writing on X: “A trailblazer as the first Jewish candidate on the national ticket of a major party, he championed abortion access, LGBTQ+ equality and gun safety. Our communities are safer because of his leadership. May his memory be for a blessing.”

“Joe Lieberman was a true mensch and a great American,” former Sen. Norm Coleman, chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said in a statement. “Time and again, Senator Lieberman put principle over politics. He was a shining example of all that’s good and decent about public service. And he was a committed and proud Jew who served his country with distinction… I am proud to have known Joe and the Republican Jewish Coalition was proud to work with him over the years.”

ABC News’ Rick Klein, Kelsey Walsh, Mariam Khan and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kenan Thompson discusses 'Quiet on Set' and working with Dan Schneider

Disney Entertainment Television/Jeff Neira

Kenan Thompson, who starred in the Nickelodeon shows All That and Kenan and Kel as a teen, is speaking out about allegations made about his former producer Dan Schneider in the documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

“I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and is putting things on display that need to be told for accountability sake, but it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place,” Thompson said of Nickelodeon during an appearance on Tamron Hall‘s chat show on Wednesday, March 27.

Addressing the accusations that Schneider created a toxic work environment, the Saturday Night Live star recalled that many of them happened after his tenure on the network.

“Dan wasn’t really on Kenan and Kel like that,” he explains. “He got a ‘created by’ credit, but it was a different showrunner, so our worlds weren’t overly overlapping like that outside of All That necessarily.”

“My heart goes out to anybody that’s been victimized, or their families,” he said.

After noting that the production company said it was investigating all the allegations, Thompson said, “Well, investigate more.”

“It’s supposed to be a safe place, you know?” he added. “It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids and to hear all about that it’s just like, ‘How dare you,’ you know?'”

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In Brief: Austin Butler 'Caught Stealing' for 'The Whale' director Aronofsky, and more

Deadline reports Dune: Part Two‘s Austin Butler has been tapped to star in The Whale filmmaker Darren Aronofsky‘s crime thriller Caught Stealing, for Sony Pictures. The film, adapted from Charlie Huston‘s book of the same name, centers on, “a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ’90s NYC” …

Poor Things star Ramy Youssef will host Saturday Night Live for the first time on Saturday and promoted the appearance in a hilarious promo with SNL cast member Kenan Thompson. The clip shows Youssef falsely claiming to be the show’s “first Arab host,” only to be corrected by Thompson, who also shoots down the actor/comedian’s claim that he’s the first-ever Egyptian host and even the first-ever Egyptian host named Ramy, pointing out that Rami Malek once hosted the show. “Being first is dumb anyway,” Youssef fires back, eventually settling for being the first-ever Egyptian host named Ramy from New Jersey. Travis Scott is the musical guest on Saturday, March 30 …

West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose will mark her third time hosting the Tony Awards when the 2024 ceremony airs June 16 on CBS. “I couldn’t pass up the chance to host the Tonys one more time at Lincoln Center. I’m excited to collaborate with the team to create an incredible celebration of this season’s achievements on Broadway for our community and for everyone at home,” DeBose said in a statement. CBS and Pluto TV will once again team up to present The Tony Awards: Act One, a preshow of live, exclusive content leading into the 77th annual Tony Awards …

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nelly Furtado thinks it's “so cool” that she inspired Dua Lipa: “It makes me proud and happy”

Sami Drasin for ‘Euphoria’

Though Nelly Furtado hasn’t released an album in quite some time, her impact on other musicians is undeniable: Dua Lipa has said that discovering Nelly’s music when she was 6 years old made her want to be a pop star, while Drake and Lorde have also cited her as an influence. As you can imagine, Nelly’s pretty happy about that.

Asked about being an inspiration for younger acts, Nelly tells Euphoria magazine for a new cover story, “Oh my God, it’s so cool. It makes me proud and happy.” She adds, “I always remember going to my good friend’s birthday and he had very intentionally invited me because he wanted me to meet his good friend Dua Lipa. We finally got to meet and it was something we had been meaning to do for years.”

“I get proud when I see somebody who’s told me, ‘Oh, you’ve influenced me,'” the “Say It Right” singer notes. “I literally just saw Dua’s Grammy performance and I was so proud. I was like, ‘This is f***** awesome!’ It’s a great feeling. I’m just grateful to be even in the conversation, to be totally honest.”

After returning to the music scene last year with “Keep Going Up,” a collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Nelly is now planning to release a new album, which will be her first since 2017’s The Ride. She tells Euphoria, “I can’t reveal too much, but it’s gonna be elevated.”

“We have big plans and I’m so excited about it because I’m in a better head space than ever,” she adds. “I’ve never loved being an entertainer more. I feel like I’m really owning it.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Camila Cabello says her new album is exploring her “hyper-femme villain arc”

Dimitrious Giannoudis

Camila Cabello just dropped her new single, “I LUV IT,” featuring Playboi Carti, but hasn’t yet released any details about her upcoming album.  However, she tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that it’ll have one very important difference from all of her previous work.

“[There’s] one thing I have done on this album that I don’t feel like… I feel like I was getting to before, but for me, I’ve always been just like a song-based artist. I heard Charli [XCX] say the other day, it’s like artistry is more important than songs. I was always the opposite mentality,” she explains.

“I was always like, everything is about the song,” she continues. “That was everything for me. It was just isolated from the name or who did it or whatever, it was just about how does this four-minute, whatever, three-minute piece of music sound.”

But now, Camila says, she’s thinking of her music as more of an entire artistic work. “I think it’s because I started diving deeper into bodies of work and artists,” she says. “I was like, ‘I love the way Lana [Del Rey] or Carti … they just, like, create a whole world, and it makes the music so much richer.'”

“So I think I’d attempted to do that before, but never got the full gist of it,” says Camila. “And I learned so much from [my collaborators] and really studying this time around the character, the world, the motifs.”

Echoing her previous statement to Paper magazine that she’s playing a character on the album, Camila tells Zane that her new aesthetic — blonde hair and what she calls “the baby pink color, the lip gloss” — has helped her create the character.

“[It’s] my villain arc,” she says. “My hyper-femme villain arc, that was the beginning.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively returning for 'A Simple Favor 2'

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in 2018’s ‘A Simple Favor’ – Lionsgate

A sequel to the 2018 film A Simple Favor is officially in the works.

Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday that director Paul Feig and stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively will reprise their roles for A Simple Favor 2, a co-production with Lionsgate.

Other cast returning for the sequel include Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho and Kelly McCormack.

The synopsis for the film notes that it’s the “return of Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman.”

“Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square,” the synopsis continues.

No release date was announced for the film, though production is set to begin sometime in spring.

The 2018 film was based on Darcey Bell‘s 2017 novel of the same name. Jessica Sharzer returns as screenwriter, with revisions from Laeta Kalogridis and Feig.

A Simple Favor earned more than $97 million at the worldwide box office, according to Box Office Mojo, and is Certified Fresh on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

4 dead, 1 in critical condition after Illinois stabbing spree; suspect in custody, officials say

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(ROCKFORD, Ill.) — An adult male allegedly stabbed multiple victims in the Rockford, Illinois area on Wednesday, leaving four people dead, one in critical condition and four others in stable condition, authorities said in a press conference Wednesday.

Rockford police say the suspect is in custody and there is no known motive at this time.

“Words can’t even express my thoughts right now; this a pretty painstaking event,” the Rockford police chief said, adding, “This was a heinous crime.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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