Springsteen charged with drunken driving; Jeep ad on pause
Iconic artists Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen are among the stars who will highlight a primetime virtual celebration televised Wednesday night following President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File)HIGHLANDS, N.J. – Bruce Springsteen is facing a drunken driving charge in New Jersey, prompting Jeep to put on pause the Super Bowl television commercial that features him. It is about 15 miles north of Asbury Park, where Springsteen got his start as a musician and bandleader and which was later made famous with his debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” Springsteen lives in Colts Neck, about 12 miles from the site of the arrest. Springsteen received citations for driving while under the influence, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. While during Sunday's Super Bowl, he appeared in a Jeep ad filmed in Kansas that urged people to find common ground.
Was Bon Jovi really in Miami? Or was it Dania Beach?
DANIA BEACH, Fla. – South Florida is buzzing about where exactly Bon Jovi performed during the primetime inauguration special Wednesday night. People who came out to Dania Beach Pier on Thursday were connecting the dots. I’d love to see him.”Perhaps blame COVID-19 for the mission being kept so secretive that the city of Dania Beach was also in the dark about Bon Jovi being in town. “The Dania Beach Pier is the gem of our city and we are very grateful to see it shine on such a monumentous day,” the city said. We’ve learned that Gil Green, known for creating videos with Miami rapper Pitbull and the Miami Heat, directed the Bon Jovi shoot.
Hollywood on the Potomac: A-list turns out for Biden-Harris
A full-throated, supremely confident Lady Gaga belted out the national anthem at President Joe Biden's inauguration in a very Gaga way — with flamboyance, fashion and passion. While stars mostly eschewed Trump's inauguration four years ago, the A-list was back for Biden. Brooks was careful to call his decision to perform on Wednesday non-political, and in the spirit of unity. He had performed during the inaugural celebration for Obama in 2009, but turned down a chance to perform for Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict. Alone with his guitar, The Boss sang his “Land of Hope and Dreams” in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
An inauguration unlike any other amid a pandemic, unrest
Final preparations are made ahead of the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. What to watch for on Inauguration Day:THE SWEARING-INBiden's oath of office is the only essential. Others say the first eyewitness account of a president using those words came at Chester Arthur’s inauguration in 1881. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman will read an original poem, “The Hill We Climb.”THE SPEECHA president’s inauguration speech is designed to set the tone and the policies the new administration will pursue. The National Mall is closed and just a fraction of the tickets usually handed out for an inauguration will be distributed.
From Gaga to Garth, Miranda to Moreno: Celebs join inaugural
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Like so much this past year, the inaugural celebration will be like no other: pared down, distanced, much of it virtual. But for actor Christopher Jackson — the original George Washington in Broadway's “Hamilton" — performing in a virtual “ball” is a way of participating in an essential rite of American democracy. Miranda will contribute a classical recitation, joining musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. The inaugural committee has made sure to blend this high-powered list with ordinary Americans and inspiring stories. And the “AAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriers” celebrated the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with planned participants including actors Kal Penn, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani and Chloe Bennet.
The Latest: Springsteen, Miranda set for inaugural gala
Iconic artists Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen are among the stars who will highlight a primetime virtual celebration televised Wednesday night following President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration. Biden’s inaugural committee announced the lineup Sunday for “Celebrating America,” a multinetwork broadcast that the committee bills as a mix of stars and everyday citizens. Musicians John Legend, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake, among others, will join Springsteen and Bon Jovi. The safeguards will remain in place leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. Fencing, boarded-up windows and lines of police and National Guard troops have transformed statehouse grounds ahead of expected demonstrations leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
INAUGURATION EXPLAINER: Biden's event will be very different
The outgoing president traditionally attends the inauguration to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power. And there will be no inaugural balls for Biden, Harris and their spouses to dance the night away. But in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, all semblance of normality might be gone. Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentlemen Douglas Emhoff will later visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The inauguration comes just two weeks after the insurrection at the Capitol by Trump supporters as Congress was confirming Biden's victory.
Stars return to inauguration, with J.Lo, Gaga set to perform
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2020 file photo, Lady Gaga performs during a drive-in rally for then Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Try Lady Gaga and J. “In the end, I don’t think having Lady Gaga or J. “Lady Gaga is as big as you can get, and she is very talented,” he said. “If I were being inaugurated and I could have Lady Gaga, I would take it.”
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration
Bon Jovi, Timberlake and Lovato will perform at a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. (AP Photo)NEW YORK – Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. The inauguration will look different from other presidential inaugurations because of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. The event was already going to be pared down because of COVID-19; Biden had asked supporters to say home and watch from afar. In keeping with crowd size restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, traditional activities like the parade and the inaugural balls will be virtual.
Kevin Bacon brings music back to venues for charity concert
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Musician and actor Kevin Bacon is bringing live music back to venues that have been shuttered this year with an all-star concert TV special. The charity concert airing on CBS on Dec. 15 will raise money for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and WhyHunger. All these independently owned venues were closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The joy that you see among the people that are playing, I think, is very infectious in our show,” said Bacon. Although he also hasn't been able to perform in front of fans this year, Bacon has been singing and playing to a smaller audience of sorts.
New this week: Jingle Ball 2020 & 2 doses of Meryl Streep
MOVIES— Travel may seem closed off right now but how about a cruise with Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen? — If one Streep film wasn’t enough for you, she’s again in typically fine form in “The Prom,” parodying a diva actor in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical. — AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSIC— Jon Bon Jovi has already produced an album this year with “2020” and the concert film "On a Night Like This — Bon Jovi 2020." — AP Entertainment Writer Mark KennedyTELEVISION— This season’s winner for lengthy title: “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special,” debuting Friday on Disney +. — The CW’s “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2020,” a 90-minute special based on the annual concert, will air at 8 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 14.
Inauguration planners rethink how to party in age of virus
The inaugural platform on the Capitol's West Front is going up just like always, but it probably won't be as crowded. Work to build the inaugural platform at the Capitol and the White House reviewing stand began before the Nov. 3 election, as is traditional. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who heads the congressional inaugural committee, has been careful not to refute Trump’s baseless claims that he won the election. But Waltz said the congressional inaugural committee staff nonetheless is ready to work with Biden's Presidential Inaugural Committee. Even though plans are still taking shape, Biden's inaugural committee is already raising money for such events as balls and concerts.
Trump aide: 'We're not going to control the pandemic'
The vice president had a shout-out for supporters who braved what he called “this night of tempest, to stand in the rain and stand firm” for Trump. He and first lady Melania Trump wrapped up the busy weekend by hosting costumed children for a socially distanced Halloween trick-or-treating on the White House grounds. “It’s one standard for the vice president and another for all the rest of us," Gostin said. Trump, campaigning in Londonderry, New Hampshire, said the rising rate of infections was nothing to be concerned about. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas,” Meadows said on CNN.
The Latest: Pence's top aide tests positive for coronavirus
Short is Pence’s closest aide and the vice president is considered a “close contact” under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. ___6:25 p.m.President Donald Trump says he voted “straight Republican” when he voted early in Florida on Saturday. “But we’ve got to come together.”President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Biden of supporting a ban on fracking. Trump voted Saturday in Florida before rallies in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. That event came mere hours before Clinton lost to Donald Trump.
Surging coronavirus colors White House race in closing days
Trump’s remarks came hours before the White House announced that a top aide to Vice President Mike Pence had tested positive for the virus. Pence has been in close contact with the adviser, the White House said, but still planned to keep traveling and holding rallies around the country. More than two dozen people linked to the White House have contracted COVID-19 since that gathering, as have campaign aides. “It's always cases, cases, cases. “You know why we have cases?” Trump asked.
'I am a witness to history' — Jon Bon Jovi tackles 2020
Jon Bon Jovi poses for a portrait in New York on Sept. 23, 2020 to promote his new album "2020". (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)NEW YORK – Jon Bon Jovi has been churning out love songs and arena anthems for nearly 40 years, but his latest release “2020,” has taken his music to another level. Bon Jovi says that’s not his intention. I thought it would be social commentary,” Bon Jovi said. Bon Jovi shared his thoughts on these tumultuous time during an interview with The Associated Press.