Born on this day in 1995 in Texas, Maddie Marlow of this duo, known for their hit “Girl in a Country Song,” is celebrating her 26th birthday. Can you name the act? ANSWER: Maddie & Tae.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The Biden administration extended eligibility deportation relief for Yemeni nationals on Tuesday. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended and re-designated Yemen for 18 months of Temporary Protected Status from Sept. 4 through March 3, 2023. The extension allows approximately 1,700 Yemenis currently benefiting from TPS to retain their protection through March 2023 and allows an additional 480 Yemini nationals, or people who have no nationality but last resided in Yemen, to apply for protection.
Mayorkas made the decision to re-designate Yemen for TPS protection in response to the six-year civil war and issues such as lack of food, water and healthcare, large-scale destruction of infrastructure, population displacement, a cholera outbreak that has been ongoing since 2016, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayorkas said: “Yemen continues to experience worsening humanitarian and economic conditions that prevent individuals from safely returning to their homes. Therefore, I have decided to extend and re-designate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status. We will continue to protect and offer these individuals a place of residency temporarily in the United States.”
Editorial credit: Mark Van Scyoc / Shutterstock.com
Elsa regained hurricane strength as it moved toward Tampa up along the southwestern coast of Florida. The National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday evening that Elsa had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane once again, and was moving north at 14 mph. Elsa had previously been categorized as a hurricane late last week as it neared the Caribbean before weakening into a tropical storm.
The NHC said in its update. “On Wednesday morning, Elsa is forecast to make landfall along the north Florida Gulf coast and then move across the southeastern United States through Thursday. Slow strengthening is forecast through tonight, and Elsa could be near hurricane strength before it makes landfall in Florida.” The NHC noted in its updated tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall in the Florida Keys.
Elsa was forecast to produce between 3-5 inches of rain through Wednesday across the Florida Keys and into southwest and western portions of the peninsula, with the rest of the state expected to receive between 2-4 inches. The NHC said there’s also a tornado threat in Elsa’s path, adding that the threat will continue into Wednesday across north Florida, southeast Georgia and parts of South Carolina.
On Tuesday, August 3, FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and his wife, Hayley, will host one of the biggest concerts Nashville’s seen in quite some time. Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Russell Dickerson, Lauren Alaina, Lily Rose, and more will take the stage for the inaugural show at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee, on the outskirts of Music City.
It’s all a benefit for Feeding Nashville, a nonprofit the Hubbards started in April of 2020, with their friends, Tennessee Titans player Taylor Lewan and his wife, Taylin.
“This is where our heart is, you know,” Tyler tells ABC Audio. “We love playing music and we love hosting events already, but to get to do something with our friends for a greater cause, and any time we can give back to humanity is just, it fills our hearts.”
So far, Feeding Nashville has provided more than 70,000 healthy meals for at-risk students, low-income patients, and the homeless.
Giving back is something that’s even more important to the Hubbards now that they have three little ones.
“We want our kids to see us doing that,” Tyler reflects. “We want our kids to experience knowing how to do that, and how important that is, you know, in our families.”
“So it’s fun,” he adds. “It’s definitely a cool element. Being a parent now adds another whole dimension and dynamic to everything we do.”
Tickets for the star-studded Together: Feeding Nashville benefit go on sale this Friday.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Ashley McBryde has booked another show at the Ryman Auditorium, and is scheduled to play a third date at the legendary Nashville venue on August 28, following two consecutive sold-out shows on August 26 and 27. Lainey Wilson will open the show on August 26, while Caylee Hammack will be the supporting act on August 27 and Caitlyn Smith on August 28.
McBryde shared: “There’s nothing better than performing at the Ryman except headlining, and there’s nothing better than headlining the Mother Church and selling it out…twice! We’re so grateful to our fans who always show up for us so enthusiastically. We can’t thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to play one of the most sacred places in the world three nights in a row. They say good things come in threes, so we’ll be ready to shake it up even more on Saturday night!”
McBryde is also set to hit the road on her This Town Talks tour this summer, beginning on July 16 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Tickets for the new Ryman Auditorium show go on sale Friday, July 11th at 11 a.m. ET.
Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com
Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and wife Hayley, along with the Tennessee Titans’ Taylor Lewan and wife Taylin are hosting a live benefit concert in support of their joint non-profit, Feeding Nashville. The concert will take place on Aug. 3 at the brand new FirstBank Amphitheater, marking the inaugural event of the venue. Together: Feeding Nashville will feature Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Russell Dickerson, Lauren Alaina, Lily Rose, and more special guests to be revealed.
Founded in April 2020 by the Hubbards and Lewans, Feeding Nashville is ‘focused on providing healthy meals for at-risk students, low-income patients, and the homeless in Nashville, while also supporting a network of local chefs. Since launching, Feeding Nashville has prepared and delivered meals to 70,858 individuals in the region.’
Tickets for the Together: Feeding Nashville event will go on sale Friday, June 9 at 10 a.m. CST, with net ticket proceeds directly supporting Feeding Nashville.
Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com
Big Red Machine — the collaborative project of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner of The National — and Taylor Swift have shared their new joint project, “Renegade.” Both artists contributed to Swift’s 2020 album folklore, and “Renegade” will appear on Big Red Machine’s How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, due August 27.
How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? is the follow-up to Big Red Machine’s self-titled 2018 debut. Swift appears on two of the album’s tracks, “Renegade” and “Birch.” A press release states that she recorded her vocals at her own Kitty Committee Studio in Los Angeles in March 2021.
Take a listen to Renegade – here.
Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
Shortly after sharing details of their fifth album, Mercury – Act 1, Imagine Dragons has released their new single, titled “Wrecked.” “Wrecked” follows the tracks “Follow You” and “Cutthroat”, which are both featured on the forthcoming album.
“Wrecked” was produced by the group and was inspired by singer Dan Reynolds’ late sister-in-law, who died from cancer. Reynolds said in a statement about Alisha Durtschi Reynolds: “She was the brightest light. A beacon of joy and strength for everyone she met. Her sudden passing has shaken me in ways that I still am unable to express. I was with her and my brother when she passed, and it was the first time in my life that I had witnessed death in this way. It sealed into my mind the fragility of life and finality of this all. I’ve watched my brother face something that no one should have to. But I’ve also seen his faith bring him hope in a future with her. I can only hope for the same. This song was my way of dealing with it all, as music has always been my refuge. No longer being a man of fervent faith, I can only hope that she hears it somewhere in a place where she is healed and no longer in pain. This song is my wish for an eternity with those that I love.”
Take a listen to “Wrecked” at the lyric video – here.
Pre-order Mercury – Act 1 – here.
Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com
Even more details are now being reported about Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton‘s weekend wedding in Oklahoma.
According to E! Online, the couple’s lavish, five-tier white wedding cake deliberately looked old-fashioned because it was based on Gwen’s parents’ wedding cake. Lauren Kitchens, founder of Fancy Cakes by Lauren Kitchens, told E! News, “Her love of family is strong and this was her way of honoring them and their beginning as a new married couple on her big day as a newly married bride. Everything about the cake had sentimental value.”
The vanilla creme cake was filled with salted caramel, covered in vanilla buttercream and finished with a cake topper of a groom wearing a cowboy hat — even though Blake generally doesn’t — and a blonde-haired bride. According to Kitchens, the highly detailed decoration is a kind of freehand piping that originated in England called “Lambeth cake design.”
“I bet Gwen and Blake have just made the Lambeth cake come back full force,” Kitchens noted.
Meanwhile, People magazine reports that while the wedding guests and party numbered just 40, Gwen and Blake’s celebrity pals were represented in the tunes they danced to.
According to People, the music for the reception was a playlist created by DJ Lucy Wrubel that featured hits by fellow Voice coach Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5 — whose frontman Adam Levine is a former The Voice coach — plus Blake’s country star friends Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Ashley McBryde has booked another show at the Ryman Auditorium.
The “One Night Standards” singer will play a third show at the hallowed Nashville venue on August 28, following two consecutive sold-out shows on August 26 and 27. Tickets for the new show go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
“There's nothing better than performing at the Ryman except headlining, and there's nothing better than headlining the Mother Church and selling it out.twice!” Ashley shares in a statement. “We're so grateful to our fans who always show up for us so enthusiastically. We can't thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to play one of the most sacred places in the world three nights in a row. They say good things come in threes, so we'll be ready to shake it up even more on Saturday night!”
Lainey Wilson will open the show on August 26, while Caylee Hammack will be the supporting act on August 27 and Caitlyn Smith on August 28.
Ashley will set out on her This Town Talks Tour this summer, beginning on July 16 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.