On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rRzLORiSwvM?si=gjhytMNkK585hsnD" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.

🎤Forward Ever: Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Country Stampede marketing director Shelby Ebert.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1vLx27MX6tM?si=lJFOVPeAtwVvITvh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Country Stampede marketing director Shelby Ebert.

🎤 Forward Ever: Country Stampede marketing director Shelby Ebert

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball winner Todd Cameron.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LGqQhSwz_Ag?si=_bHSPpRELuqeGxjv" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball winner Todd Cameron.

🎤 Forward Ever: 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball winner Todd Cameron

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Camber President Bobby Eklofe.

For reference, the list of gifts mentioned during the interview includes:&nbsp;

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6uRPueIKhvc?si=Rs55WchM2c_Cg94a" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Camber President Bobby Eklofe.For reference, the list of gifts mentioned during the interview includes:&nbsp;Rubix CubesFidgetsAge-appropriate booksBasketballsFootballsVolleyballsSoccer ballsSquishmellosStuffed animalsDollsAction figuresBoard gamesPlaying cardsUnoPhase 10Fidget spinnersBluetooth headphonesUnderwear and socks

🎤 Forward Ever: Camber President Bobby Eklofe

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Entrepreneur and inventor Mike Farmer.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6_t2AHbfg80?si=hYdF3La0wE5SDbxQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Entrepreneur and inventor Mike Farmer.

🎤 Forward Ever: Entrepreneur and inventor Mike Farmer

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with the inaugural Limestone Preservation Award winners Jack and Kathie Crispin.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nP_jN_9URlU?si=ZqqKxZsG0lsSpv39" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with the inaugural Limestone Preservation Award winners Jack and Kathie Crispin.

🎤 Forward Ever: Post Rock Limestone Preservation Award winners Jack, Kathie Crispin

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.

The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.

Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”

"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”

Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”

Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.

“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”

“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.

Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”

Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.

Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Jason Sims, Motorcycle Cannonball organizer, about the upcoming event

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cm_Q9p6k63E?si=uFztXVOfOP5pEXoH" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;Jason Sims, Motorcycle Cannonball organizer, about the upcoming event

🎤 Forward Ever: Mr. Motorcycle Cannonball, Jason Sims

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jason-aldean">Jason Aldean</a>&nbsp;'s “Try That in a Small Town” is experiencing exponential growth following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jason-aldean-try-that-small-town-video-b164d61b0293318cefc4538206464ced">controversy over its music video</a>.

“Try That in a Small Town,” which was released in May, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week just behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bts-beyond-story-book-review-8ac9f997817252d43bb9753de0e1c8e6">BTS’s Jung Kook</a>&nbsp;solo single “Seven,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2023-song-of-summer-predictions-411d7738986212bb7ffb06e8f3893408">featuring Latto</a>. The track experienced the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years.

According to Luminate, the song hit 11.7 million on-demand audio and video streams between July 14 and 20, marking a 1,000% increase from the previous week. Prior to the music video release on July 14, the track accounted for 987,000 streams in the U.S.

Digital song sales increased from 1,000 to 228,000, in those same weeks, respectively.

The music video for the song lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics. When the network removed the video from its rotation, it had 350,000 views on YouTube. Now that number is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY">now over 16 million</a>, and it is the No. 1 trending video under the “music” category.

In the visual, Aldean — who has been awarded country music&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d941899353c345d99116f3088e4c29af">artist of the decade</a>&nbsp;by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFl4tmi8cbE">Maury County Courthouse</a>&nbsp;in Columbia, Tennessee. It is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate.

Aldean’s video received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a “dog whistle” and others labeling it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/arts/music/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-cmt.html">“pro-lynching.”</a>

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far,” Aldean wrote in a tweet posted Tuesday.

“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean sings on the track, written by Neil Thrasher, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, and Kelley Lovelace. “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that (expletive) might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”

On Friday, July 21, while performing at Cincinnati's Riverbend Music Center, Aldean addressed the audience with “Cancel culture is a thing... which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that could see through a lot of the bulls---, all right?", according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/2023/07/23/jason-aldean-defends-try-that-in-a-small-town-in-cincinnati-ohio/70452887007/">“The Columbus Dispatch.”</a>

For those wondering if he would play the song live, he said, “The answer is simple. The people have spoken and you guys spoke very, very loudly,” he said, before launching into the song.

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jason-aldean">Jason Aldean</a>&nbsp;'s “Try That in a Small Town” is experiencing exponential growth following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jason-aldean-try-that-small-town-video-b164d61b0293318cefc4538206464ced">controversy over its music video</a>.“Try That in a Small Town,” which was released in May, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week just behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bts-beyond-story-book-review-8ac9f997817252d43bb9753de0e1c8e6">BTS’s Jung Kook</a>&nbsp;solo single “Seven,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2023-song-of-summer-predictions-411d7738986212bb7ffb06e8f3893408">featuring Latto</a>. The track experienced the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years.According to Luminate, the song hit 11.7 million on-demand audio and video streams between July 14 and 20, marking a 1,000% increase from the previous week. Prior to the music video release on July 14, the track accounted for 987,000 streams in the U.S.Digital song sales increased from 1,000 to 228,000, in those same weeks, respectively.The music video for the song lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics. When the network removed the video from its rotation, it had 350,000 views on YouTube. Now that number is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY">now over 16 million</a>, and it is the No. 1 trending video under the “music” category.In the visual, Aldean — who has been awarded country music&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d941899353c345d99116f3088e4c29af">artist of the decade</a>&nbsp;by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFl4tmi8cbE">Maury County Courthouse</a>&nbsp;in Columbia, Tennessee. It is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate.Aldean’s video received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a “dog whistle” and others labeling it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/arts/music/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-cmt.html">“pro-lynching.”</a>“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far,” Aldean wrote in a tweet posted Tuesday.“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean sings on the track, written by Neil Thrasher, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, and Kelley Lovelace. “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that (expletive) might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”On Friday, July 21, while performing at Cincinnati's Riverbend Music Center, Aldean addressed the audience with “Cancel culture is a thing... which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that could see through a lot of the bulls---, all right?", according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/2023/07/23/jason-aldean-defends-try-that-in-a-small-town-in-cincinnati-ohio/70452887007/">“The Columbus Dispatch.”</a>For those wondering if he would play the song live, he said, “The answer is simple. The people have spoken and you guys spoke very, very loudly,” he said, before launching into the song.

Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' rockets to No. 2 on charts after controversy

NASHVILLE (AP) —Country music star&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jason-aldean">Jason Aldean</a>&nbsp;'s latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">music video</a> for “Try That In A Small Town," lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics.

In the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">video</a>, Aldean — who has been awarded country music&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d941899353c345d99116f3088e4c29af">artist of the decade</a>&nbsp;by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFl4tmi8cbE">Maury County Courthouse</a>&nbsp;in Columbia, Tennessee. This is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">Aldean's video,</a> which was released last Friday, has received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/laurkatrad/status/1680777937686077443">“dog whistle”</a>&nbsp;and others labeling it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/arts/music/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-cmt.html">“pro-lynching.”</a>

Interspersed between performance footage of Aldean are news clips of violent riots and flag burnings. A Fox News chyron reads: “State of emergency declared in Georgia."

“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean, who is from Macon, Georgia, sings. "Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town."

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">video clip</a> that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far,” Aldean wrote in a tweet posted Tuesday.

The production company behind <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">the video</a>, Tacklebox, said in a statement Wednesday that it picked a ”popular filming location outside of Nashville” that had been used on numerous productions, including holiday films starring Tanya Tucker and one starring Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer.

“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video's location decision is false," the company said, adding that Aldean did not choose the location.

Aldean has long identified as conservative, and has been&nbsp;<a href="https://countrynow.com/jason-aldean-and-brittany-aldean-ring-in-new-year-with-donald-trump-at-mar-a-lago-party-dream-night/">a vocal supporter</a>&nbsp;of former President Donald Trump. “My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from,” he tweeted Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">The video</a> and its subsequent removal from CMT quickly blew up into one of the periodic culture war clashes, with several conservative figures speaking out in favor of Aldean — including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.

This isn't the first time Aldean has been at the center of controversy. In 2015, he made headlines for dressing as rapper Lil Wayne as a Halloween costume,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/613b0120a905418684fd0ab09cc83fce">wearing blackface makeup</a>&nbsp;and a wig with dreadlocks.

In 2017, the country singer was on stage at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-jason-aldean-las-vegas-mass-shooting-30c3bca1b28e616b8560818ee89a5917">the Route 91 Festival</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas during the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Over the years, Aldean has given conflicting statements about his stance on U.S. gun laws, though his music celebrates gun ownership.

“It’s too easy to get guns, first and foremost,” he told The Associated Press after the Las Vegas shooting. “When you can walk in somewhere and you can get one in 5 minutes, do a background check that takes 5 minutes, like how in-depth is that background check? Those are the issues I have. It’s not necessarily the guns themselves or that I don’t think people should have guns. I have a lot of them.”

“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean said on Twitter Tuesday. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous."

A CMT spokesperson did not immediately respond to AP's request for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689875863323.png" alt="Image from the video" />
 <figcaption>Image from the video</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE (AP) —Country music star&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jason-aldean">Jason Aldean</a>&nbsp;'s latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">music video</a> for “Try That In A Small Town," lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics.In the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">video</a>, Aldean — who has been awarded country music&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d941899353c345d99116f3088e4c29af">artist of the decade</a>&nbsp;by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFl4tmi8cbE">Maury County Courthouse</a>&nbsp;in Columbia, Tennessee. This is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">Aldean's video,</a> which was released last Friday, has received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/laurkatrad/status/1680777937686077443">“dog whistle”</a>&nbsp;and others labeling it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/arts/music/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-cmt.html">“pro-lynching.”</a>Interspersed between performance footage of Aldean are news clips of violent riots and flag burnings. A Fox News chyron reads: “State of emergency declared in Georgia."“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean, who is from Macon, Georgia, sings. "Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town."“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">video clip</a> that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far,” Aldean wrote in a tweet posted Tuesday.The production company behind <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">the video</a>, Tacklebox, said in a statement Wednesday that it picked a ”popular filming location outside of Nashville” that had been used on numerous productions, including holiday films starring Tanya Tucker and one starring Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer.“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video's location decision is false," the company said, adding that Aldean did not choose the location.Aldean has long identified as conservative, and has been&nbsp;<a href="https://countrynow.com/jason-aldean-and-brittany-aldean-ring-in-new-year-with-donald-trump-at-mar-a-lago-party-dream-night/">a vocal supporter</a>&nbsp;of former President Donald Trump. “My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from,” he tweeted Tuesday.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY&amp;t=10s">The video</a> and its subsequent removal from CMT quickly blew up into one of the periodic culture war clashes, with several conservative figures speaking out in favor of Aldean — including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.This isn't the first time Aldean has been at the center of controversy. In 2015, he made headlines for dressing as rapper Lil Wayne as a Halloween costume,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/613b0120a905418684fd0ab09cc83fce">wearing blackface makeup</a>&nbsp;and a wig with dreadlocks.In 2017, the country singer was on stage at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-jason-aldean-las-vegas-mass-shooting-30c3bca1b28e616b8560818ee89a5917">the Route 91 Festival</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas during the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Over the years, Aldean has given conflicting statements about his stance on U.S. gun laws, though his music celebrates gun ownership.“It’s too easy to get guns, first and foremost,” he told The Associated Press after the Las Vegas shooting. “When you can walk in somewhere and you can get one in 5 minutes, do a background check that takes 5 minutes, like how in-depth is that background check? Those are the issues I have. It’s not necessarily the guns themselves or that I don’t think people should have guns. I have a lot of them.”“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean said on Twitter Tuesday. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous."A CMT spokesperson did not immediately respond to AP's request for comment.

Jason Aldean music video lasted 1 week on country music network

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The category? “Proper Name.” The answer? Ryan Seacrest, who will become the new “Wheel of Fortune” host after Pat Sajak's retirement next year.

Seacrest and Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that Seacrest has signed a multiyear deal to host the long-running game show starting with Season 42. Sajak&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pat-sajak-retirement-wheel-of-fortune-d64841758855e579b3d6254b5314fc17">recently announced</a>&nbsp;the upcoming 41st season would be his last on the show.

It's the latest hosting gig for Seacrest, the popular “American Idol” host who also now rings in the new year for many on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in a statement. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”

Seacrest in his statement also praised Vanna White, another mainstay of “Wheel of Fortune,” and signaled she would remain on the show after Sajak's retirement. Both White and Sajak have been on the show since the early 1980s.

"I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” Seacrest's statement said. He also said he was looking to learn as much as possible from Sajak during the transition period.

The show tapes in Southern California, where Seacrest also hosts a popular nationally syndicated morning drivetime radio show. In February, Seacrest announced he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/television-tv-kelly-ripa-ryan-seacrest-dick-clark-fe381d4752a8ad18272a4707151deef0">leave the New York-based televised morning show</a>&nbsp;“Live with Kelly and Ryan” after six years. Kelly Ripa now hosts that show with her husband Mark Consuelos.

Sajak, 76, has presided over the game show, in which contestants guess letters to try to fill out words and phrases in pursuit of money and prizes, since 1981. He took over duties from Chuck Woolery, who was the show’s host when it debuted in 1975. The show started out as a daytime game show but became a syndicated nightly telecast in 1983, making Sajak and White the main faces of “Wheel of Fortune” for viewers for four decades.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The category? “Proper Name.” The answer? Ryan Seacrest, who will become the new “Wheel of Fortune” host after Pat Sajak's retirement next year.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwheeloffortune%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02AqUDV3TiwrBr8YgUCT26tWhipAi1KPjQKu9cDQ7iFjDvtVkPxSRpqcHS1pWPteT1l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="609" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Seacrest and Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that Seacrest has signed a multiyear deal to host the long-running game show starting with Season 42. Sajak&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pat-sajak-retirement-wheel-of-fortune-d64841758855e579b3d6254b5314fc17">recently announced</a>&nbsp;the upcoming 41st season would be his last on the show.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Wheel of Fortune <a href="https://t.co/pQeTpWsPx7">pic.twitter.com/pQeTpWsPx7</a>&mdash; Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanSeacrest/status/1673734940465283077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It's the latest hosting gig for Seacrest, the popular “American Idol” host who also now rings in the new year for many on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in a statement. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”Seacrest in his statement also praised Vanna White, another mainstay of “Wheel of Fortune,” and signaled she would remain on the show after Sajak's retirement. Both White and Sajak have been on the show since the early 1980s."I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” Seacrest's statement said. He also said he was looking to learn as much as possible from Sajak during the transition period.The show tapes in Southern California, where Seacrest also hosts a popular nationally syndicated morning drivetime radio show. In February, Seacrest announced he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/television-tv-kelly-ripa-ryan-seacrest-dick-clark-fe381d4752a8ad18272a4707151deef0">leave the New York-based televised morning show</a>&nbsp;“Live with Kelly and Ryan” after six years. Kelly Ripa now hosts that show with her husband Mark Consuelos.Sajak, 76, has presided over the game show, in which contestants guess letters to try to fill out words and phrases in pursuit of money and prizes, since 1981. He took over duties from Chuck Woolery, who was the show’s host when it debuted in 1975. The show started out as a daytime game show but became a syndicated nightly telecast in 1983, making Sajak and White the main faces of “Wheel of Fortune” for viewers for four decades.

Wheel of Fortune: Ryan Seacrest will host after Pat Sajak retires

🎤 Forward Ever: State Library of Kansas director of reference Cindy Roupe

NEW YORK (AP) — 
CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon on Monday following his short and 
disastrous run as a morning show host, a little over two months after he
 apologized for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-nikki-haley-e40445ae824a56e3548c17a029a80775">on-air comments</a> about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her prime.

The
 move quickly turned nasty. While CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht 
announced, after Lemon had co-hosted the show Monday, that they had <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPR/status/1650535190568026113" target="_blank">“parted ways,”</a> Lemon characterized it as a firing and said it was surprise to him.

“After
 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have 
the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said. CNN said that Lemon was 
given the opportunity to meet with management but released a statement 
on Twitter instead.

CNN offered no 
public explanation for Lemon’s dismissal. During a February discussion 
on “CNN This Morning” with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins 
about the ages of politicians, he said that the 51-year-old Haley was 
not “in her prime.” A woman, he said, was considered in her prime “in 
her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”

Harlow challenged 
Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referencing: “I think we need to 
qualify. Are you talking about prime for childbearing or are you talking
 about prime for being president?”

“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,” Lemon responded.

Lemon
 issued a statement the same day saying he regretted his “inartful and 
irrelevant” comments. He was subsequently absent from the show for three
 days, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tv-nikki-haley-don-lemon-52be979ee7c3b95dbcddedf23683e98c">returning the following week</a> with a tweeted apology but no mention of the episode on air.

Haley,
 who had criticized Lemon’s statements as sexist and used the incident 
to fundraise in February, took to Twitter on Monday to call Lemon’s 
ouster “a great day for women everywhere,” linking to the beverage 
sleeves emblazoned with “Past my prime? Hold my beer.”

Lemon
 used to host the prime-time “Don Lemon Tonight” but moved when the 
network launched “CNN This Morning” last November, just before the U.S. 
midterm elections, as one of the first major programming moves under 
Licht.

NEW YORK (AP) — 
CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon on Monday following his short and 
disastrous run as a morning show host, a little over two months after he
 apologized for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-nikki-haley-e40445ae824a56e3548c17a029a80775">on-air comments</a> about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her prime.The
 move quickly turned nasty. While CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht 
announced, after Lemon had co-hosted the show Monday, that they had <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPR/status/1650535190568026113" target="_blank">“parted ways,”</a> Lemon characterized it as a firing and said it was surprise to him. “After
 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have 
the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said. CNN said that Lemon was 
given the opportunity to meet with management but released a statement 
on Twitter instead.CNN offered no 
public explanation for Lemon’s dismissal. During a February discussion 
on “CNN This Morning” with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins 
about the ages of politicians, he said that the 51-year-old Haley was 
not “in her prime.” A woman, he said, was considered in her prime “in 
her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”Harlow challenged 
Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referencing: “I think we need to 
qualify. Are you talking about prime for childbearing or are you talking
 about prime for being president?”“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,” Lemon responded.Lemon
 issued a statement the same day saying he regretted his “inartful and 
irrelevant” comments. He was subsequently absent from the show for three
 days, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-tv-nikki-haley-don-lemon-52be979ee7c3b95dbcddedf23683e98c">returning the following week</a> with a tweeted apology but no mention of the episode on air.Haley,
 who had criticized Lemon’s statements as sexist and used the incident 
to fundraise in February, took to Twitter on Monday to call Lemon’s 
ouster “a great day for women everywhere,” linking to the beverage 
sleeves emblazoned with “Past my prime? Hold my beer.”Lemon
 used to host the prime-time “Don Lemon Tonight” but moved when the 
network launched “CNN This Morning” last November, just before the U.S. 
midterm elections, as one of the first major programming moves under 
Licht.

Lemon fired from CNN after divisive morning show run

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News said Monday it has “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson, its popular and controversial host, less than a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe">settling a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;over the network's 2020 election reporting.

The network said in a press release that the last program of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” aired Friday.

“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the press release from the network said.

Carlson became Fox’s most popular personality after replacing Bill O’Reilly in Fox’s prime-time lineup in 2016. He’s also consistently drawn headline for controversial coverage, including most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-tucker-carlson-capitol-riot-mccarthy-adc245e22f50b076925eb72948062808">airing tapes from the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection</a>&nbsp;to minimize the impact of the deadly attack.

There was no immediate explanation from Fox about why Carlson was leaving. A text message to Carlson seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Fox agreed last week to pay Dominion Voting Systems more than $787 million and acknowledged that some of its reporting following the 2020 election — which allowed former President Donald Trump's aides to amplify false charges of election fraud — was incorrect.

But that reporting mostly concerned other shows, not Carlson’s. His name did come up during the case, primarily because of email and text messages that were revealed as part of the lawsuit.

Carlson and other Fox hosts were caught in private messages doubting their own network's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-explainer-trump-fbd401a951905879d837a8860b3bec5e">allegations about Dominion's role</a>&nbsp;in the supposed election fraud, while also being concerned that Fox was losing audience among Trump fans at the time. In some of them, Carlson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tucker-carlson-fox-news-murdoch-capitol-attack-96c305cf4046aaf373130876940fd06e">privately criticized Trump,</a>&nbsp;saying he hated him passionately.

A few weeks ago, Carlson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-trial-trump-carlson-election-f580413e13d1bfaea1e94827a4f35dc1">devoted his entire show</a>&nbsp;to an interview with Trump.

Carlson was recently named in a lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a Fox News producer fired after claiming that Fox lawyers had pressured her to give misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit. Grossberg had gone to work for Carlson after leaving Maria Bartiromo's Fox show.

Her lawsuit says that Grossberg learned “she had merely traded in one overtly misogynistic work environment for an event crueler one — this time, one where unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.”

Fox has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-defamation-lawsuit-voting-sexism-9f0b4ec94a19fa68c1205864fef277c5">countered with its own lawsuit,</a>&nbsp;trying to bar Grossberg from disclosing confidential discussions with Fox attorneys and saying in a statement that “her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless.”

“Fox News Tonight” will air in Carlson's 8 p.m. ET prime-time slot, hosted by a rotating array of network personalities, for the time being.

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News said Monday it has “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson, its popular and controversial host, less than a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe">settling a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;over the network's 2020 election reporting.The network said in a press release that the last program of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” aired Friday.“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the press release from the network said.Carlson became Fox’s most popular personality after replacing Bill O’Reilly in Fox’s prime-time lineup in 2016. He’s also consistently drawn headline for controversial coverage, including most recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-tucker-carlson-capitol-riot-mccarthy-adc245e22f50b076925eb72948062808">airing tapes from the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection</a>&nbsp;to minimize the impact of the deadly attack.There was no immediate explanation from Fox about why Carlson was leaving. A text message to Carlson seeking comment was not immediately returned.Fox agreed last week to pay Dominion Voting Systems more than $787 million and acknowledged that some of its reporting following the 2020 election — which allowed former President Donald Trump's aides to amplify false charges of election fraud — was incorrect.But that reporting mostly concerned other shows, not Carlson’s. His name did come up during the case, primarily because of email and text messages that were revealed as part of the lawsuit.Carlson and other Fox hosts were caught in private messages doubting their own network's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-explainer-trump-fbd401a951905879d837a8860b3bec5e">allegations about Dominion's role</a>&nbsp;in the supposed election fraud, while also being concerned that Fox was losing audience among Trump fans at the time. In some of them, Carlson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tucker-carlson-fox-news-murdoch-capitol-attack-96c305cf4046aaf373130876940fd06e">privately criticized Trump,</a>&nbsp;saying he hated him passionately.A few weeks ago, Carlson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-trial-trump-carlson-election-f580413e13d1bfaea1e94827a4f35dc1">devoted his entire show</a>&nbsp;to an interview with Trump.Carlson was recently named in a lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a Fox News producer fired after claiming that Fox lawyers had pressured her to give misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit. Grossberg had gone to work for Carlson after leaving Maria Bartiromo's Fox show.Her lawsuit says that Grossberg learned “she had merely traded in one overtly misogynistic work environment for an event crueler one — this time, one where unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.”Fox has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-defamation-lawsuit-voting-sexism-9f0b4ec94a19fa68c1205864fef277c5">countered with its own lawsuit,</a>&nbsp;trying to bar Grossberg from disclosing confidential discussions with Fox attorneys and saying in a statement that “her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless.”“Fox News Tonight” will air in Carlson's 8 p.m. ET prime-time slot, hosted by a rotating array of network personalities, for the time being.

Tucker Carlson, Fox News' most popular host, out at network

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ultimate rock and roll tribute band Hairball will 
perform at the Kansas State Fair, Thursday, Sept. 14. 2023.&nbsp;This is 
Hairball’s 23rd year of rocking hundreds of thousands of fans across the
 country.&nbsp;​

Hairball is known for their high-energy, electrifying 
performances that pay tribute to some of the greatest rock bands of all 
time,&nbsp;including&nbsp;Kiss, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Queen,&nbsp;Aerosmith&nbsp;and more.
 With their impressive array of costumes, stage props,&nbsp;and pyrotechnics,
 Hairball is sure to deliver an unforgettable show that will leave 
audiences wanting more.&nbsp;​​

It’s been said that “a band puts on a 
concert - Hairball puts on an event!” Vocalists Joe Dandy, Kris Vox, and
 Dave Moody lead&nbsp;the band through a 2+ hour mind-blowing, drop-dead 
accurate homage to some of the biggest arena acts in the world. 
The&nbsp;Hairball stage becomes an entirely new rock concert before your 
very&nbsp;eyes&nbsp;countless times throughout the night.&nbsp;​Tickets go on sale at 8
 a.m. Friday, April 21&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=2541fd3283&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com.</a> Anyone
 signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get&nbsp;access to tickets with a
 presale code, starting 8 a.m. Thursday, April 20. Sign up for 
emails&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=caff27f52f&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.kansasstatefair.com/p/general-information1/email-updates</a>​​

The show will be Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;​

Reserved seating in the Grandstand is $30.&nbsp;

There are several options for an upgraded Grandstand experience:​ &nbsp;

Party
 alongside the 2023 Grandstand artists! The Mel Hambelton Ford Party Pit
 gives concertgoers the opportunity to be on the floor,&nbsp;located right in
 front of the stage. Each ticket is $40.&nbsp;​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio​

Get
 all your friends close to the stage! Reserve a table on our Metal &amp;
 Soul Patio to enjoy the show from a private table that seats six. 
Each&nbsp;table is $350.​

Metal &amp; Soul Patio with VIP Experience​

Want
 the ultimate VIP treatment? In addition to a reserved table for six on 
the Metal &amp; Soul Patio, this package provides three beverage&nbsp;coupons
 per person, complimentary food within the VIP seating area prior to the
 show, 2 VIP parking passes, and early entrance to the&nbsp;Grandstand. Each 
table with VIP experience is $500.​

NOTE: Each grandstand ticket 
will also include a gate admission scan. Ticket will be valid on date of
 event only. Some&nbsp;exclusions apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=ab4a8d59c0&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>&nbsp;to learn more.​

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=d02caf6734&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/12251/kansas-state-fair</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;call&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=e759f727c7&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">(620) 669-3618.</a>&nbsp;​

2023 Kansas State Fair Nex-Tech Grandstand Acts (so far!):​

The Nex-Tech Grandstand is sponsored by Nex-Tech Wireless and Nex-Tech.​

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681740379888.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ultimate rock and roll tribute band Hairball will 
perform at the Kansas State Fair, Thursday, Sept. 14. 2023.&nbsp;This is 
Hairball’s 23rd year of rocking hundreds of thousands of fans across the
 country.&nbsp;​Hairball is known for their high-energy, electrifying 
performances that pay tribute to some of the greatest rock bands of all 
time,&nbsp;including&nbsp;Kiss, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Queen,&nbsp;Aerosmith&nbsp;and more.
 With their impressive array of costumes, stage props,&nbsp;and pyrotechnics,
 Hairball is sure to deliver an unforgettable show that will leave 
audiences wanting more.&nbsp;​​It’s been said that “a band puts on a 
concert - Hairball puts on an event!” Vocalists Joe Dandy, Kris Vox, and
 Dave Moody lead&nbsp;the band through a 2+ hour mind-blowing, drop-dead 
accurate homage to some of the biggest arena acts in the world. 
The&nbsp;Hairball stage becomes an entirely new rock concert before your 
very&nbsp;eyes&nbsp;countless times throughout the night.&nbsp;​Tickets go on sale at 8
 a.m. Friday, April 21&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=2541fd3283&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com.</a> Anyone
 signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get&nbsp;access to tickets with a
 presale code, starting 8 a.m. Thursday, April 20. Sign up for 
emails&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=caff27f52f&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.kansasstatefair.com/p/general-information1/email-updates</a>​​The show will be Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;​Ticket Options:​Reserved seating in the Grandstand is $30.&nbsp; There are several options for an upgraded Grandstand experience:​ &nbsp;Mel Hambelton Ford Party Pit​Party
 alongside the 2023 Grandstand artists! The Mel Hambelton Ford Party Pit
 gives concertgoers the opportunity to be on the floor,&nbsp;located right in
 front of the stage. Each ticket is $40.&nbsp;​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio​Get
 all your friends close to the stage! Reserve a table on our Metal &amp;
 Soul Patio to enjoy the show from a private table that seats six. 
Each&nbsp;table is $350.​Metal &amp; Soul Patio with VIP Experience​Want
 the ultimate VIP treatment? In addition to a reserved table for six on 
the Metal &amp; Soul Patio, this package provides three beverage&nbsp;coupons
 per person, complimentary food within the VIP seating area prior to the
 show, 2 VIP parking passes, and early entrance to the&nbsp;Grandstand. Each 
table with VIP experience is $500.​NOTE: Each grandstand ticket 
will also include a gate admission scan. Ticket will be valid on date of
 event only. Some&nbsp;exclusions apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=ab4a8d59c0&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>&nbsp;to learn more.​To purchase tickets or for more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=d02caf6734&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/12251/kansas-state-fair</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;call&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=e759f727c7&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">(620) 669-3618.</a>&nbsp;​2023 Kansas State Fair Nex-Tech Grandstand Acts (so far!):​<ol>
 <li>Friday, Sept. 8&nbsp;– NEEDTOBREATHE​</li><li>Saturday, Sept. 9&nbsp;– Carly Pearce with Megan Moroney​</li><li>Sunday, Sept. 10 – Rob Schneider with Byron Kennedy</li><li>Wednesday, Sept. 13 – Matthew West with Anne Wilson</li><li>Thursday, Sept. 14&nbsp;– Hairball&nbsp;</li>
 </ol>The Nex-Tech Grandstand is sponsored by Nex-Tech Wireless and Nex-Tech.​

Hairball Will Rock the Kansas State Fair September 14 

Warner
 Bros. Discovery is sticking with safe bet franchises that will likely 
lure viewers, including a “Harry Potter” series and a “Game of Thrones” 
prequel for its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/warner-bros-discovery-hbo-streaming-max-app-9a662dfab76d312bc2af4d9cb13b9b98">rebranded Max streaming service</a>.

Executives
 touted Max and made original Warner Bros. Discovery programming 
announcements on Wednesday during a presentation for journalists and 
investors. The $16-per-month service will be released May 23 in the U.S.
 and automatically replace the company’s existing HBO Max.

The 
“Harry Potter” series is described as a “faithful retelling” of the 
books about the boy wizard by J. K Rowling, featuring a new cast.

Each season is intended to focus on one of the seven books, though Max anticipates stretching the series to a decade-long run.

Max
 also announced it is has also ordered a “Game of Thrones” prequel 
called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” set in 
Westeros 100 years prior to the events of “Game of Thrones." It's based 
on fantasy novellas by George R. R. Martin, which follow the adventures 
of a knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (known as Dunk) and Aegon V 
Targaryen (called Egg). Martin will serve as an executive producer and 
writer on the series alongside Ira Parker.

“House of the Dragon” also a “Game of Thrones” prequel, has begun production on its second season for HBO.

Other
 announcements included a series based on the Penguin character in "The 
Batman", which is now in production with Colin Farrell resuming his role
 and another comedy set in the “Big Bang Theory” universe from Chuck 
Lorrie, both for Max.

Associated PressWarner
 Bros. Discovery is sticking with safe bet franchises that will likely 
lure viewers, including a “Harry Potter” series and a “Game of Thrones” 
prequel for its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/warner-bros-discovery-hbo-streaming-max-app-9a662dfab76d312bc2af4d9cb13b9b98">rebranded Max streaming service</a>.Executives
 touted Max and made original Warner Bros. Discovery programming 
announcements on Wednesday during a presentation for journalists and 
investors. The $16-per-month service will be released May 23 in the U.S.
 and automatically replace the company’s existing HBO Max.The 
“Harry Potter” series is described as a “faithful retelling” of the 
books about the boy wizard by J. K Rowling, featuring a new cast.Each season is intended to focus on one of the seven books, though Max anticipates stretching the series to a decade-long run.Max
 also announced it is has also ordered a “Game of Thrones” prequel 
called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” set in 
Westeros 100 years prior to the events of “Game of Thrones." It's based 
on fantasy novellas by George R. R. Martin, which follow the adventures 
of a knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (known as Dunk) and Aegon V 
Targaryen (called Egg). Martin will serve as an executive producer and 
writer on the series alongside Ira Parker.“House of the Dragon” also a “Game of Thrones” prequel, has begun production on its second season for HBO.Other
 announcements included a series based on the Penguin character in "The 
Batman", which is now in production with Colin Farrell resuming his role
 and another comedy set in the “Big Bang Theory” universe from Chuck 
Lorrie, both for Max.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

'Game of Thrones' prequel and 'Harry Potter' series are a go

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Accomplished actor, comedian, three-time Emmy nominated screenwriter and director Rob Schneider will perform at the Kansas State Fair, Sunday, September 10 with special guest Byron Kennedy. &nbsp;​ As a stand-up comic and veteran of the award-winning NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in films and television and continues his world-wide stand-up tour. &nbsp; ​ His TV and film credits include the NBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly and starring roles in the feature films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, the Animal, the Hot Chick, The Benchwarmers, Grownups, The Waterboy, Little Nicky, The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, animated film 8 Crazy Nights, and Netflix’s The Wrong Missy and Hubie Halloween. &nbsp;​ Schneider is currently co-starring in Netflix’s Home Team, starring Kevin James in addition to his stand-up comedy tour. Schneider also recently completed production on the film Daddy Daughter Trip, which he produced, directed and starred in.  &nbsp;​ Kennedy is a rising star in the comedy world and has been featured on Comedy Central's Roast Battle and MTV's Wild 'N Out. ​ Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. Friday, April 14 at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=8e8ad2f61e&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>. Anyone signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get access to tickets with a presale code, starting 8 a.m. Thursday, April 13. Sign up for emails at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=c5a4dc3214&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.kansasstatefair.com/p/general-information1/email-updates​</a> The show will be Sunday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. &nbsp;​ Ticket Options:​ Reserved seating on the Floor is $70 and the Grandstand is $60/$40. &nbsp;​ There are several options for an upgraded Grandstand experience:​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio​ Get all your friends close to the stage! Reserve a table on our Metal &amp; Soul Patio to enjoy the show from a private table that seats six. Each table is $600.​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio with VIP Experience​ Want the ultimate VIP treatment? In addition to a reserved table for six on the Metal &amp; Soul Patio, this package provides three beverage coupons per person, complimentary food within the VIP seating area prior to the show, 2 VIP parking passes, and early entrance to the Grandstand. Each table with VIP experience is $750.​ NOTE: Each grandstand ticket includes a gate admission scan. Ticket will be valid on date of event only. Some exclusions apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=8938139cff&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>&nbsp;to learn more. ​ To purchase tickets or for more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=46f8db11be&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">kansasstatefair.com</a>&nbsp;or call (620) 669-3618

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681127685633.jpeg" alt="Rob Schneider&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Rob Schneider&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Accomplished actor, comedian, three-time Emmy nominated screenwriter and director Rob Schneider will perform at the Kansas State Fair, Sunday, September 10 with special guest Byron Kennedy. &nbsp;​ As a stand-up comic and veteran of the award-winning NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in films and television and continues his world-wide stand-up tour. &nbsp; ​ His TV and film credits include the NBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly and starring roles in the feature films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, the Animal, the Hot Chick, The Benchwarmers, Grownups, The Waterboy, Little Nicky, The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, animated film 8 Crazy Nights, and Netflix’s The Wrong Missy and Hubie Halloween. &nbsp;​ Schneider is currently co-starring in Netflix’s Home Team, starring Kevin James in addition to his stand-up comedy tour. Schneider also recently completed production on the film Daddy Daughter Trip, which he produced, directed and starred in.  &nbsp;​ Kennedy is a rising star in the comedy world and has been featured on Comedy Central's Roast Battle and MTV's Wild 'N Out. ​ Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. Friday, April 14 at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=8e8ad2f61e&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>. Anyone signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get access to tickets with a presale code, starting 8 a.m. Thursday, April 13. Sign up for emails at&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=c5a4dc3214&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">https://www.kansasstatefair.com/p/general-information1/email-updates​</a> The show will be Sunday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. &nbsp;​ Ticket Options:​ Reserved seating on the Floor is $70 and the Grandstand is $60/$40. &nbsp;​ There are several options for an upgraded Grandstand experience:​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio​ Get all your friends close to the stage! Reserve a table on our Metal &amp; Soul Patio to enjoy the show from a private table that seats six. Each table is $600.​ Metal &amp; Soul Patio with VIP Experience​ Want the ultimate VIP treatment? In addition to a reserved table for six on the Metal &amp; Soul Patio, this package provides three beverage coupons per person, complimentary food within the VIP seating area prior to the show, 2 VIP parking passes, and early entrance to the Grandstand. Each table with VIP experience is $750.​ NOTE: Each grandstand ticket includes a gate admission scan. Ticket will be valid on date of event only. Some exclusions apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=8938139cff&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">KansasStateFair.com</a>&nbsp;to learn more. ​ To purchase tickets or for more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasstatefair.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e8ba81fdd03d1e38c02c0ae6&amp;id=46f8db11be&amp;e=3291b91fe2" target="_blank">kansasstatefair.com</a>&nbsp;or call (620) 669-3618

'Saturday Night Live' star coming to Kansas State Fair

LOS
 ANGELES (AP) — Travis Kelce is living his best life: On the heels of 
winning the Super Bowl and hosting “Saturday Night Live,” the Kansas 
City Chiefs superstar tight end will cap his successful string with a 
music festival this month.

The two-time Super Bowl winner 
announced Tuesday that he’ll host his first-ever festival called “Kelce 
Jam” during NFL Draft weekend. The inaugural event will be held April 28
 at the Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas — a metropolitan 
area of Kansas City.

The event will feature performances by Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, DJ duo Loud Luxury and Kansas City rap legend Tech N9ne.

“With
 the draft coming to KC, I think it’s perfect timing for me to throw the
 biggest music festival that’s ever come here,” said Kelce, who believes
 the festival could lure around 15,000 attendees. “We’ll have some 
unreal stage productions, Kansas City’s best food, tons of attractions 
and football-related games. This will be a whole lot of fun.”

Kelce said he’s taking advantage of his surging popularity after the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-2023-kansas-city-chiefs-philadelphia-eagles-43a1fb387f63438c1eea23b6a4244d95">Super Bowl 57</a>
 in February. Last month, he hosted “Saturday Night Live” and he 
co-hosts a flourishing podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, who plays 
for the Eagles.

In this moment, Kelce is enjoying “every bit of it” and feels ecstatic about his upcoming music festival.

“Every
 door that’s been opened because of winning the Super Bowl, I’ve been 
running through them,” he said. “It’s not going to stop anytime soon – 
especially with Kelce Jam. I think this will be the nail-in-the-coffin 
for the 2022 season.”

Kelce said he wanted to bring some of his 
favorite artists including Machine Gun Kelly – who is an Ohio native 
like himself. He felt inspired to host his own music festival after he 
attended four-time Super Bowl champion <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/rob-gronkowski">Rob Gronkowski</a> ’s Gronk Beach during the NFL Draft in Las Vegas last year.

“I
 took note from what Gronk did last year,” he said. “I want to throw a 
big party knowing that the draft is coming to Kansas City. It’s a 
special event for the city to host. … I’m going to need Kansas City to 
come out and be electric with me.”

LOS
 ANGELES (AP) — Travis Kelce is living his best life: On the heels of 
winning the Super Bowl and hosting “Saturday Night Live,” the Kansas 
City Chiefs superstar tight end will cap his successful string with a 
music festival this month.The two-time Super Bowl winner 
announced Tuesday that he’ll host his first-ever festival called “Kelce 
Jam” during NFL Draft weekend. The inaugural event will be held April 28
 at the Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas — a metropolitan 
area of Kansas City.The event will feature performances by Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, DJ duo Loud Luxury and Kansas City rap legend Tech N9ne.“With
 the draft coming to KC, I think it’s perfect timing for me to throw the
 biggest music festival that’s ever come here,” said Kelce, who believes
 the festival could lure around 15,000 attendees. “We’ll have some 
unreal stage productions, Kansas City’s best food, tons of attractions 
and football-related games. This will be a whole lot of fun.”Kelce said he’s taking advantage of his surging popularity after the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-2023-kansas-city-chiefs-philadelphia-eagles-43a1fb387f63438c1eea23b6a4244d95">Super Bowl 57</a>
 in February. Last month, he hosted “Saturday Night Live” and he 
co-hosts a flourishing podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, who plays 
for the Eagles.In this moment, Kelce is enjoying “every bit of it” and feels ecstatic about his upcoming music festival.“Every
 door that’s been opened because of winning the Super Bowl, I’ve been 
running through them,” he said. “It’s not going to stop anytime soon – 
especially with Kelce Jam. I think this will be the nail-in-the-coffin 
for the 2022 season.”Kelce said he wanted to bring some of his 
favorite artists including Machine Gun Kelly – who is an Ohio native 
like himself. He felt inspired to host his own music festival after he 
attended four-time Super Bowl champion <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/rob-gronkowski">Rob Gronkowski</a> ’s Gronk Beach during the NFL Draft in Las Vegas last year.“I
 took note from what Gronk did last year,” he said. “I want to throw a 
big party knowing that the draft is coming to Kansas City. It’s a 
special event for the city to host. … I’m going to need Kansas City to 
come out and be electric with me.”

Chiefs' Travis Kelce to host music festival in Kansas City

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with USA Today Woman of the Year 2023 honoree Jade Piros de Carvalho.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p4fEi-BuxTE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with USA Today Woman of the Year 2023 honoree Jade Piros de Carvalho.

🎤 Forward Ever: USA Today Woman of the Year 2023 honoree Jade Piros de Carvalho

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash.

A jury dismissed the complaint of a retired optometrist who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/01/29/gwyneth-paltrow-sued-over-utah-ski-crash/">sued Paltrow</a>&nbsp;over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort, siding with Paltrow after eight days of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-0d1bf78d45d65d86eafcd0e6bc21ae38">live-streamed courtroom testimony</a>&nbsp;that made the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-b748dfec3d0cc7ba7281355a21a4f6ff">a pop culture fixation.</a>

Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom. She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-ae1cbc0ff84940adf857355ec956723e">actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off</a>&nbsp;last year.

The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.” and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-entertainment-ap-top-news-us-news-lawsuits-89356b1afe574eee890e7f31cb193b86">unfair, frivolous lawsuits</a>&nbsp;due to her celebrity.

Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-utah-ski-collision-trial-3f3b25539799e4537f2157ee3679d202">insist the collision</a>&nbsp;wasn’t her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”

Throughout the trial, the word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-2d9de9365c38">“uphill” became synonymous with “guilty,</a>&nbsp;” as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.

Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television. Viewers scrutinized both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client’s reputations.

The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival">Sundance Film Festival,</a>&nbsp;where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and the “Iron Man” movies.

The jury’s decision marks a painful court defeat for Terry Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run. Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.

He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed. Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.

Paltrow’s defense team tried to paint Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow. They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680216584319.png" alt="Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during an objection by her attorney during her trial, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Park City, Utah, where she is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)" />
 <figcaption>Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during an objection by her attorney during her trial, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Park City, Utah, where she is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)</figcaption>
 </figure>PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash.A jury dismissed the complaint of a retired optometrist who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/01/29/gwyneth-paltrow-sued-over-utah-ski-crash/">sued Paltrow</a>&nbsp;over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort, siding with Paltrow after eight days of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-0d1bf78d45d65d86eafcd0e6bc21ae38">live-streamed courtroom testimony</a>&nbsp;that made the case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-b748dfec3d0cc7ba7281355a21a4f6ff">a pop culture fixation.</a>Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom. She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amber-heard-johnny-depp-entertainment-ae1cbc0ff84940adf857355ec956723e">actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off</a>&nbsp;last year.The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.” and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-entertainment-ap-top-news-us-news-lawsuits-89356b1afe574eee890e7f31cb193b86">unfair, frivolous lawsuits</a>&nbsp;due to her celebrity.Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-utah-ski-collision-trial-3f3b25539799e4537f2157ee3679d202">insist the collision</a>&nbsp;wasn’t her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”Throughout the trial, the word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-trial-lawsuit-utah-2d9de9365c38">“uphill” became synonymous with “guilty,</a>&nbsp;” as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television. Viewers scrutinized both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client’s reputations.The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival">Sundance Film Festival,</a>&nbsp;where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and the “Iron Man” movies.The jury’s decision marks a painful court defeat for Terry Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run. Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed. Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.Paltrow’s defense team tried to paint Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow. They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.

Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault for ski collision, jury decides

By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. AP Entertainment Writer

LOS
 ANGELES — Hip-hop became a cultural phenomenon against the 
backdrop of American history, and now Public Enemy’s Chuck D has 
committed himself to explore the artform's origins.

Chuck D 
rounded up several rap greats — including Ice-T, Run DMC and MC Lyte — 
who offered their firsthand accounts ahead of this year's 50th 
anniversary of hip-hop. Their reflections are explored in the four-part 
docuseries <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/fight-power-how-hip-hop-changed-world/">“Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,”</a> that aired on PBS and is available to stream on its platforms and YouTube with a premium subscription.

The
 series delves into the history of hip-hop including the genre’s radical
 rise from the New York City streets, creating a platform for political 
expression and being a leading voice for social justice

“Fight the
 Power” touches on how the hip-hop has played an impactful role in 
speaking up against injustice in the aftermath of America’s racial and 
political reckoning in 2020 after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-minneapolis-police-reform-d109eb0d3094119ddbcb560676467f19">George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police</a>.
 The series, executive produced by Chuck D, features archival footage 
and insightful interviews from of rap’s most integral figures including 
Fat Joe, Lupe Fiasco, Grandmaster Caz, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Melle 
Mel, will.i.am, John Forte, Roxanne Shanté and Abiodun Oyewole of The 
Last Poets.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Chuck
 D talked about hip-hop’s cultural growth in 50 years, the genre being 
the backbone for Black men’s voices and how rap could last for another 
half century.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and bravery. 
___ AP: You mentioned in your docuseries that hip-hop was a catalyst for
 the Black Lives Matter movement. How so?

CHUCK D: It’s a 
collective where people felt the same way. It spoke politically to the 
injustice regarding George Floyd and was a spark that connected around 
the world. Hip-hop has done the same thing. Hip-hop ties human beings 
for their similarities and knocks the differences to the side. It’s a 
movement, when you talk about collective people feeling similar, enact 
upon something and still even stay within the constraints of the law. 
Younger people say, “OK, listen, we’re going to speak truth to power 
right now. We’re going to protest march. We're going to show you numbers
 that you ain’t seen in a long time about something you probably didn’t 
care about." That’s hip-hop, right?

AP: During the birth of hip-hop, how do it help encourage Black voices?

CHUCK
 D: Black men didn’t have a voice. You might’ve sung records for people 
who were fortunate to become recording artists. Our music has always 
been code. Hip-hop is the term for our creativity, maybe for the last 50
 years. But before that, we always was creative and musicianship, 
vocalization, arts and craft, and also the movement of dance. Just that 
the elements had gotten refined in another period in the '70s out of 
another Big Bang Theory of socio political environments. That’s where 
that voice came out and it came out culturally. It still speaks loudly, 
culturally.

AP: How does your documentary amplify that notion?

CHUCK
 D: Some people like to deal with hip-hop where they first started. I 
think what this documentary series says is “Nah, this is where it 
started.” You might have picked up on it after you were born in the 
1990s and picked up maybe 2000, but it started before you.

AP: What do you want people to take away from your documentary?

CHUCK
 D: I don’t want people to do what they don’t want to do. If you say you
 love hip-hop, then you should be able to know about what you love. You 
don’t have to love hip-hop. I used to ask people straight out, “Do you 
love hip-hop?” They would respond “Oh yeah. I love it.” Then I was ask, 
“Do you love Black people?” They would say “What’s that got to do with 
it?” I’m here to tell you that the culture and the music comes out of 
the people. Sometimes your love of it got to infuse and give something 
back to the people. That’s the cycle.

AP: How do you feel about hip-hop being misinterpreted at times?

CHUCK
 D: I’m 12 years older than hip-hop, so I’m not in awe of it. I’ve seen 
the trajectory and my involvement in it was to see if I can make it go 
head-to-head, stand shoulders and shoulders next to everything else that
 gets bragged and talked about. I’m a big sports fan. You know, a lot of
 people in New York broke up because the Giants lost. That’s how they 
tied into their loyalty for something that they say that they love. 
Well, people love music, too. They seem to know less about it than they 
know about sports, because sports make sure you’re not stupid. Stephen 
A. Smith now is a superstar journalist who makes sure that if you come 
in the room, you’re not stupid about sports. You can’t go off the top of
 your head and freestyle what you think when it’s fact. This four-part 
series at least deals with facts, especially in this misinformation age.
 Facts are important. Facts is not opinion, bro.

CHUCK
 D: Africa is the future of hip-hop. It’s 54 African nations. Not only 
are they spitting like crazy, but they’re also braiding languages. 
Hip-hop is going to like 3.0 when you talk about Africa. Hip-hop is 
there. So that’s the sustaining power if you want to pay attention to 
it.

AP: Do you feel like rappers can still be commercially successful while being socially conscious?

CHUCK
 D: Depends on where they are and who they’re talking to. If you’re in 
France, it might work for you. Each level that you get into it, you got 
to go deeper because you build a fan base that’s three times harder than
 you. If you’re an activist, you’re going to bring on activists that's 
really doing this. You as an artist could engage on it and group them 
together.

Now, as far as what’s going to make that artists keep a 
light on or go out and get the Lamborghini, that’s a personal thing. 
Money is relative. There’s pressure put on the arts. That’s an illusion.
 It’s a little unfair to any art — which is not supposed to bring you an
 industry. It’s supposed to be able to bring a canvas to the world.

AP: What’s it going to take for hip-hop to live for another 50 years?

CHUCK
 D: Commitment collective, people recognizing that this is a part of us 
and recognizing more parts of us that have been part of our cultural 
history around the world. We got to recognize the world too.

By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. AP Entertainment WriterLOS
 ANGELES — Hip-hop became a cultural phenomenon against the 
backdrop of American history, and now Public Enemy’s Chuck D has 
committed himself to explore the artform's origins.Chuck D 
rounded up several rap greats — including Ice-T, Run DMC and MC Lyte — 
who offered their firsthand accounts ahead of this year's 50th 
anniversary of hip-hop. Their reflections are explored in the four-part 
docuseries <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/fight-power-how-hip-hop-changed-world/">“Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,”</a> that aired on PBS and is available to stream on its platforms and YouTube with a premium subscription.The
 series delves into the history of hip-hop including the genre’s radical
 rise from the New York City streets, creating a platform for political 
expression and being a leading voice for social justice“Fight the
 Power” touches on how the hip-hop has played an impactful role in 
speaking up against injustice in the aftermath of America’s racial and 
political reckoning in 2020 after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-minneapolis-police-reform-d109eb0d3094119ddbcb560676467f19">George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police</a>.
 The series, executive produced by Chuck D, features archival footage 
and insightful interviews from of rap’s most integral figures including 
Fat Joe, Lupe Fiasco, Grandmaster Caz, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Melle 
Mel, will.i.am, John Forte, Roxanne Shanté and Abiodun Oyewole of The 
Last Poets.In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Chuck
 D talked about hip-hop’s cultural growth in 50 years, the genre being 
the backbone for Black men’s voices and how rap could last for another 
half century.Remarks have been edited for clarity and bravery. 
___ AP: You mentioned in your docuseries that hip-hop was a catalyst for
 the Black Lives Matter movement. How so?CHUCK D: It’s a 
collective where people felt the same way. It spoke politically to the 
injustice regarding George Floyd and was a spark that connected around 
the world. Hip-hop has done the same thing. Hip-hop ties human beings 
for their similarities and knocks the differences to the side. It’s a 
movement, when you talk about collective people feeling similar, enact 
upon something and still even stay within the constraints of the law. 
Younger people say, “OK, listen, we’re going to speak truth to power 
right now. We’re going to protest march. We're going to show you numbers
 that you ain’t seen in a long time about something you probably didn’t 
care about." That’s hip-hop, right?AP: During the birth of hip-hop, how do it help encourage Black voices?CHUCK
 D: Black men didn’t have a voice. You might’ve sung records for people 
who were fortunate to become recording artists. Our music has always 
been code. Hip-hop is the term for our creativity, maybe for the last 50
 years. But before that, we always was creative and musicianship, 
vocalization, arts and craft, and also the movement of dance. Just that 
the elements had gotten refined in another period in the '70s out of 
another Big Bang Theory of socio political environments. That’s where 
that voice came out and it came out culturally. It still speaks loudly, 
culturally.AP: How does your documentary amplify that notion?CHUCK
 D: Some people like to deal with hip-hop where they first started. I 
think what this documentary series says is “Nah, this is where it 
started.” You might have picked up on it after you were born in the 
1990s and picked up maybe 2000, but it started before you.AP: What do you want people to take away from your documentary?CHUCK
 D: I don’t want people to do what they don’t want to do. If you say you
 love hip-hop, then you should be able to know about what you love. You 
don’t have to love hip-hop. I used to ask people straight out, “Do you 
love hip-hop?” They would respond “Oh yeah. I love it.” Then I was ask, 
“Do you love Black people?” They would say “What’s that got to do with 
it?” I’m here to tell you that the culture and the music comes out of 
the people. Sometimes your love of it got to infuse and give something 
back to the people. That’s the cycle.AP: How do you feel about hip-hop being misinterpreted at times?CHUCK
 D: I’m 12 years older than hip-hop, so I’m not in awe of it. I’ve seen 
the trajectory and my involvement in it was to see if I can make it go 
head-to-head, stand shoulders and shoulders next to everything else that
 gets bragged and talked about. I’m a big sports fan. You know, a lot of
 people in New York broke up because the Giants lost. That’s how they 
tied into their loyalty for something that they say that they love. 
Well, people love music, too. They seem to know less about it than they 
know about sports, because sports make sure you’re not stupid. Stephen 
A. Smith now is a superstar journalist who makes sure that if you come 
in the room, you’re not stupid about sports. You can’t go off the top of
 your head and freestyle what you think when it’s fact. This four-part 
series at least deals with facts, especially in this misinformation age.
 Facts are important. Facts is not opinion, bro.AP: How have you seen hip-hop transcend?CHUCK
 D: Africa is the future of hip-hop. It’s 54 African nations. Not only 
are they spitting like crazy, but they’re also braiding languages. 
Hip-hop is going to like 3.0 when you talk about Africa. Hip-hop is 
there. So that’s the sustaining power if you want to pay attention to 
it.AP: Do you feel like rappers can still be commercially successful while being socially conscious?CHUCK
 D: Depends on where they are and who they’re talking to. If you’re in 
France, it might work for you. Each level that you get into it, you got 
to go deeper because you build a fan base that’s three times harder than
 you. If you’re an activist, you’re going to bring on activists that's 
really doing this. You as an artist could engage on it and group them 
together.Now, as far as what’s going to make that artists keep a 
light on or go out and get the Lamborghini, that’s a personal thing. 
Money is relative. There’s pressure put on the arts. That’s an illusion.
 It’s a little unfair to any art — which is not supposed to bring you an
 industry. It’s supposed to be able to bring a canvas to the world.AP: What’s it going to take for hip-hop to live for another 50 years?CHUCK
 D: Commitment collective, people recognizing that this is a part of us 
and recognizing more parts of us that have been part of our cultural 
history around the world. We got to recognize the world too.

Q&A: Chuck D talks rap's rise through 'Fight the Power' doc

Newsmax
 is returning to DirecTV after a dispute between the parties saw the 
conservative network removed from the satellite carrier.

The duo 
were initially unable to agree to financial terms on an agreement, which
 led to DirecTV losing the rights to distribute Newsmax programming on 
Jan. 25.

The companies said Wednesday that they've now reached a 
multiyear distribution deal that will see the Newsmax channel return to 
DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse starting on Thursday.

“As
 a stand-alone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a 
decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is 
why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that will 
deliver our network to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers 
over the next several years,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a 
statement on Wednesday.

Associated PressNewsmax
 is returning to DirecTV after a dispute between the parties saw the 
conservative network removed from the satellite carrier.The duo 
were initially unable to agree to financial terms on an agreement, which
 led to DirecTV losing the rights to distribute Newsmax programming on 
Jan. 25.The companies said Wednesday that they've now reached a 
multiyear distribution deal that will see the Newsmax channel return to 
DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse starting on Thursday.Financial terms were not disclosed.“As
 a stand-alone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a 
decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is 
why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that will 
deliver our network to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse customers 
over the next several years,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a 
statement on Wednesday.

Newsmax returns to DirecTV, inks multiyear distribution deal

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — There's a moment in the new PBS documentary about <a href="https://apnews.com/article/anthony-fauci-announces-retirement-7efdacac6a9ff7aa6e2f870b551fe508">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> when a protester holds up a handmade sign reading, “Dr. Fauci, You Are Killing Us."

It
 says something about Fauci that it's not initially clear when that sign
 was waved in anger — in the 1980s as AIDS made its deadly rise or in 
the 2020s with COVID-19 vaccine opponents.

<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/anthony-fauci-documentary/23072/">“American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci,”</a>
 offers a portrait of an unlikely lightning rod: A government infectious
 disease scientist who advised seven presidents. Fauci hopes it can 
inspire more public servants like him.

“I just felt that there 
needed to be a story of people understanding what public health 
officials go through, but also I hope as a source of inspiration for 
young people who are either in science or interested in going into 
science,” he told The Associated Press. The documentary airs Tuesday and
 later streams.

Fauci allowed a film crew to follow him for 23 
months starting in January 2021. The documentary covers his career and 
its crises, especially the way COVID-19 was handled by the Trump 
administration.

“When you talk about all of the different things 
coming together for a disaster, that’s what happened: A divided country,
 a president who amplified the division and then a public health crisis —
 you couldn’t ask for a worse combination of things,” he said.

<a href="http://room608.com/portrait-photos">Director Mark Mannucci</a>
 offers an intimate look at his subject, with images of Fauci running 
from meeting to meeting and wolfing down Wheat Thins between Zooms. His 
wife attests to the stress by pointing out their security detail due to 
threats.

“The story illuminates — and he’d be the first to say it —
 some very dark stuff about this country and how a person who has 
devoted his life to helping individuals got so twisted in this current 
climate,” said Mannucci.

Michael Kantor, executive producer for the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/">American Masters series</a>,
 says Fauci is a figure who has been central to American life for 
decades and deserves an examination, even if some virulently oppose him.

“Dr.
 Fauci is a very controversial figure, and there are going to be people 
who are going to voice — just as in the film — great displeasure about 
what he’s done and about his approach to things. But isn’t that the 
whole point of public media? It is intended to make that conversation 
happen in the best possible way.”

COVID-19 may have introduced 
Fauci to millions of Americans, but his long career at the National 
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was marked by numerous 
previous health scares, among them HIV, SARS, MERS, Ebola and even the 
nation’s 2001 anthrax attacks.

The film shows that Fauci learned a
 lesson in humility with AIDS, as the disease stubbornly persisted and 
activists argued not enough was being done from the government. “I went 
from a world of success and gratification to a world of frustration and 
failure,” he says in the film.

Mannucci's camera flashes-forward 
to today, with Fauci cordially meeting up with the former AIDS activists
 who once decried him. They have long since reconciled; they were all on
 the same side, after all — science.

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment WriterNEW YORK (AP) — There's a moment in the new PBS documentary about <a href="https://apnews.com/article/anthony-fauci-announces-retirement-7efdacac6a9ff7aa6e2f870b551fe508">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> when a protester holds up a handmade sign reading, “Dr. Fauci, You Are Killing Us."It
 says something about Fauci that it's not initially clear when that sign
 was waved in anger — in the 1980s as AIDS made its deadly rise or in 
the 2020s with COVID-19 vaccine opponents.<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/anthony-fauci-documentary/23072/">“American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci,”</a>
 offers a portrait of an unlikely lightning rod: A government infectious
 disease scientist who advised seven presidents. Fauci hopes it can 
inspire more public servants like him.“I just felt that there 
needed to be a story of people understanding what public health 
officials go through, but also I hope as a source of inspiration for 
young people who are either in science or interested in going into 
science,” he told The Associated Press. The documentary airs Tuesday and
 later streams.Fauci allowed a film crew to follow him for 23 
months starting in January 2021. The documentary covers his career and 
its crises, especially the way COVID-19 was handled by the Trump 
administration.“When you talk about all of the different things 
coming together for a disaster, that’s what happened: A divided country,
 a president who amplified the division and then a public health crisis —
 you couldn’t ask for a worse combination of things,” he said.<a href="http://room608.com/portrait-photos">Director Mark Mannucci</a>
 offers an intimate look at his subject, with images of Fauci running 
from meeting to meeting and wolfing down Wheat Thins between Zooms. His 
wife attests to the stress by pointing out their security detail due to 
threats.“The story illuminates — and he’d be the first to say it —
 some very dark stuff about this country and how a person who has 
devoted his life to helping individuals got so twisted in this current 
climate,” said Mannucci.Michael Kantor, executive producer for the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/">American Masters series</a>,
 says Fauci is a figure who has been central to American life for 
decades and deserves an examination, even if some virulently oppose him.“Dr.
 Fauci is a very controversial figure, and there are going to be people 
who are going to voice — just as in the film — great displeasure about 
what he’s done and about his approach to things. But isn’t that the 
whole point of public media? It is intended to make that conversation 
happen in the best possible way.”COVID-19 may have introduced 
Fauci to millions of Americans, but his long career at the National 
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was marked by numerous 
previous health scares, among them HIV, SARS, MERS, Ebola and even the 
nation’s 2001 anthrax attacks.The film shows that Fauci learned a
 lesson in humility with AIDS, as the disease stubbornly persisted and 
activists argued not enough was being done from the government. “I went 
from a world of success and gratification to a world of frustration and 
failure,” he says in the film.Mannucci's camera flashes-forward 
to today, with Fauci cordially meeting up with the former AIDS activists
 who once decried him. They have long since reconciled; they were all on
 the same side, after all — science.“I put aside the 
confrontational behavior and the attacks on me and listen to what they 
were saying,” Fauci explained in the interview. “And what they were 
saying was making perfect sense. It made me feel if I were in their 
shoes, I’d be doing exactly what they were doing.”That's not the 
case when protesters in recent years began attacking Fauci for mask 
mandates, school closures, quarantines and bizarre claims about the 
COVID-19 vaccines.“There’s one sign that says, ‘Fauci, You’re 
Killing Us’ and the other sign that says ‘Fauci, You’re Killing Us’ but 
the rationale for those from the 1980s to 2023 is enormously different,”
 Fauci said. “They couldn't be more different.”In one remarkable 
sequence in the documentary, Mannucci presses Fauci on whether he might 
have handled things differently looking back — like asking Americans to 
adopt masks sooner or ordering quarantines faster. “Maybe I should have 
done that,” he says. “Yeah, I was wrong.”Mannucci relied on 10 
long sit-downs with Fauci to develop trust with his subject and didn't 
clutter the documentary with testimonials from talking heads, wanting to
 focus on Fauci's experiences.“I hope it’s not viewed as a 
partisan message, but as a portrait of who he is and what he went 
through,” said the director. “I hope that people on the other side, even
 if they never end up agreeing with him, will at least see somebody who 
is a real person, who’s a thinking person, who’s somebody maybe they can
 even relate to.”The film ends with Fauci's retirement from the 
NIAID late last year. Kantor suspects only time will tell where history 
will judge a man who dedicated his life to public service.“I 
think 10 years from now, hopefully the furor over him as a controversial
 figure will die down. But the legacy of the approach to pandemics and 
so on will still be super valuable,” he said.