Shadowhunters Sneak Peek 1 | Coming 2016 to ABC Family
Nicki Minaj has never been big on apologies but she might have to get one ready if she wants to keep her new TV show.
Last year ABC Family announced they had greenlit a new comedy series based on Nickis life. The untitled project, which Nicki will executive produce and appear in, focuseson her life growing up in Queens after immigrating from Trinidad andher rise to stardom.
But will ABC executives have a problem with Nickis latest controversy?
The foul-mouth feud started over the weekend when apparently Nicki was watching a Teen Mom marathon and then took to her social media platform to share her thoughts.
Was using the C word really necessary, Nicki?
Well, Farrah didnt think so and she fired back quickly
Farrah went for the knockout punch by retweeting a post discussingNickis own family drama.
Ouch
And if that werent enough Farrah then posted a video of her young daughter calling Nicki a total loser!
Getting into a Twitter disagreementis par for the course for celebs these days but this back-and-forth between Nicki and Farrah clearly crossed some lines.
Stay tuned to see if the family-oriented network wants to continue with Nickis series.
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and there are plenty of commemorations planned at the 407 national parks. Emerald Pool hot spring is one of Yellowstone National Park"s 10,000 or so geysers, mudpots, steamvents and hot springs.(Photo: Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images)
2015 was a tumultuous year in which world events turned beloved travel destinations like Paris into temporary battlegrounds.
Will that keep U.S. travelers from venturing abroad in 2016?
The signs are pointing towards a resilient traveling public.
TripAdvisor, the travel review site, surveyed 2,250 U.S. travelers in the wake of the Paris attacks at cafes and a concert venue and found that 90% were not planning to change their 2016 travel plans as a result. Of the 10% who said they would change their plans, 61% said they would avoid specific destinations and 35% said they would stick to domestic travel.
Anthony Roman, president and founder of a global investigation and risk management firm, Roman and Associates, says travelers shouldn"t be discouraged from seeing the world. But they should be cautious. His advice: When on a trip, vary your daily routine, remain unassuming, use common sense, be alert and have a plan in mind should something go wrong.
"We can"t ignore the new reality, but we shouldn"t stop living either," he says.
So where do the experts think U.S. travelers should head to this year?
Brazil has been much buzzed about in the last few years because of its turn as host of the 2014 World Cup and this summer"s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
But Lonely Planet looked even further ahead on the sports calendar when determining its Best in Travel 2016 winners and named Japan the No. 2 country to visit. (No. 1 was Botswana.)
"Tokyo"s successful bid to host the Olympics in 2020 has raised the temperature of a feverish city amid a blur of new development," the guidebook declared, "but beyond the suburbs Japan remains as elegant and enticing as its graceful wooden temples."
Cuba will continue to entice travelers this year as the cold war with the USA thaws.
The U.S Tour Operators Association named Cuba its top emerging and off-the-beaten path destination followed by Myanmar, Icelandand Colombia. Ethiopia and Japan tied for fifth.
It"s been more than a year since President Obama began normalizing relations with the island nation. While traveling there as a tourist is still banned, those who fall under 12 U.S.-approved categories, which include people-to-people trips and humanitarian missions, can go via a complicated charter flight process.
It could soon get easier to travel to Cuba. At the end of 2015, the USA reached an agreement to allow regularly scheduled commercial flights between the two nations.
About 34% of the Tour Operators Association members already offer programs in Cuba. Of that number, more than half plan to increase their offerings in the next few years, says Terry Dale, president and CEO of the association.
"With Cuba making headlines this year, it"s no surprise that it took the first spot in the list of emerging destinations," says Dale.
Farther down south, Ecuador made several industry lists, including Fodor"s. The Latin American country has the benefit of having the U.S. dollar as its currency and the Galapagos Islands as its most famous attraction. But the capital city Quito is becoming a hot destination with its culinary renaissance. The government has made efforts to boost tourism by redeveloping blighted areas into commercial districts and increasing security in high trafficked areas.
Iceland made both the Tour Operators and Lonely Planet lists. What"s the appeal? Think glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs, northern lights, and all sorts of other natural wonders. Add to that the ease with which to visit thanks to an Icelandair Stopover promotion that lets travelers spend up to seven nights in Reykjavik en route to their final destination at no additional airfare. And Iceland-based low-cost carrier WOW Airlines continues to expand in North America (see below).
U.S. hotel companies are also starting to see opportunities in Iceland, with Hilton introducing its new lifestyle brand Canopy in Reykjavik this year.
Stateside, there are plenty of up-and-coming as well as longstanding popular destinations.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and there are plenty of commemorations planned at the 407 national parks leading up to the Aug. 25th birthday. One notable celebration will take place at the new Arch Park at Yellowstone National Park, which provides views of the Roosevelt Arch, named for Theodore Roosevelt, a seminal figure in the creation of America"s national parks. Last year the Park Service launched a Find Your park public awareness and education campaign to celebrate the centennial.
Tour Operators named New York and California top destinations in a tie. Second place was also a tie between Arizona and Hawaii.
Hawaii, specifically the island of Maui and the city of Honolulu, also earned high marks among Travel Leaders Group, a top U.S. travel agency.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack on the island of Oahu. On Dec. 7, the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy will host a commemoration ceremony.
Nashville is one U.S. city that is attracting new interest not just for its long-established music scene but because of the influx of new bright minds in the technology and health care industries. Hotel companies are also descending upon the city. Marriott is planning a new MOXY hotel aimed at Millennial travelers, those in their 20s and early 30s. Hilton will open a Canopy there. Virgin Hotels, a new chain that debuted last year, also plans a property there.
Some other travel trends that USA TODAY is keeping an eye on in 2016:
Bigger is better
Airlines completed their mergers in 2015, with American and US Airways finalizing their union to become the largest airline in the world. Now it"s time for hotel companies to consolidate. Marriott this year will complete its merger with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, becoming the largest hotel company in the world. AccorHotels recently announced its purchase of Fairmont, Rafflesand Swissotels.
Share and share alike
Uber and AirBnB continued their rise to dominance in 2015, despite regulatory and competitive challenges. Expect to see travelers continue to choose these alternatives. And the sharing economy is seeping into other industries. Last year, several companies such as Wheels Up and Beacon developed ride-sharing apps or subscription services that made private jets accessible to more travelers. Even chefs are embracing the concept, with websites such as EatWith.com developing to bring travelers together at the table at people"s homes so they can eat like locals.
Virtual reality, the new reality
In 2015, Marriott Hotels launched a trial of what it called "VRoom Service," allowing guests at select properties to order Samsung Gear VR headsets enabled by Oculus Rift for 24 hours. The devices were pre-loaded with videos of three destinations which Marriott called VR postcards so that the guest could have a 360-degree experience of each place. Qantas also experimented with virtual reality goggles in first-class cabins as a way to promote destinations and in-flight products and show movies. Hawaiian Airlines used Oculus Rift to visually announce the rollout of its new lie-flat seats later thisyear. "The ability to give someone like a travel agent in Japan the ability to experience it--we think that"s really powerful," says Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing for Hawaiian Airlines. "It"s becoming quite clear that"s going to become one of the new trends in consumer technology."
Low-cost carriers emerge
European low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle is rapidly expanding, beginning new nonstop service from Oakland to London Gatwick in May. Iceland-based WOW airlines is also adding more flights to Europe. What does this mean for the legacy carriers? George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog.com, has not seen the airlines match the low-cost fares dollar for dollar. But he has seen some slightly lower fares to London on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. The lower price of fuel is another factor that could keep fares steady. "I do think we are seeing the effect in addition as more airlines deploy fuel-efficient jets like the 787 and Airbus A350," Hobica says. "But it all depends on supply and demand. With employment picking up in the U.S., we"ll see more demand and that is a wild card for airfares."
Charlie Whitehurst on role of backup QB & his relationship with Philip Rivers
NFL Weekend
Focus: Weeden, Whitehurst, McCarron and Osweiler
Crunch time has arrived in the NFL, with playoff spots and postseason seeding at stake over the final two weekends of the regular season.
Some contending teams can feel secure that such significant games are in the hands of highly accomplished quarterbacks such as New Englands Tom Brady, Carolinas Cam Newton, Arizonas Carson Palmer, Green Bays Aaron Rodgers, Seattles Russell Wilson and Pittsburghs Ben Roethlisberger.
[As playoffs approach, Cardinals offense is the best in the NFL]
But not every NFL contender has that luxury. There also are teams in the thick of the playoff chase that must cross their fingers and hope for the best at quarterback. That group includes the Cincinnati Bengals with AJ McCarron, the Denver Broncos with Brock Osweiler, the Houston Texans potentially with Brandon Weeden and the Indianapolis Colts possibly with Charlie Whitehurst.
It will be McCarron vs. Osweiler when the Bengals play Monday night at Denver. It is a significant game with the Bengals, at 11-3, just ahead of the Broncos, who are 10-4, for the AFCs No. 2 playoff seed behind the Patriots.
McCarron will make his second start in place of Andy Dalton, the league most valuable player candidate for the Bengals who is sidelined by a broken right thumb. The Bengals seem to be holding out hope that Dalton can return to the lineup in the postseason. In the meantime they must try to get by with McCarron, a second-year pro who had thrown only four regular season passes in the NFL until Dalton got hurt.
The Bengals did not ask McCarron to do too much in his first start, a victory at San Francisco. He had only 21 passing attempts. But he was efficient, with 15 completions and a touchdown pass. Most importantly, he did not throw an interception, although he was sacked four times. More might be needed from him against the Broncos.
I think the biggest thing was turnovers, for sure, McCarron, who threw two interceptions in relief against the Steelers in the game in which Dalton got hurt, said at a news conference this week. I had some in the first game. Thats just not me.
But you make those mistakes, youve got to learn from them. In my situation, youve got to learn from them quick. I felt like I did a better job of playing well and taking care of the football also in the San Fran game.
Osweiler is to make a sixth straight start for Denver as Peyton Manning remains unavailable because of his ailing foot. Manning is not even scheduled to participate in practices this week, making it likely that he will be on the inactive list Monday. The Broncos won the first three games started by Osweiler but have suffered losses in his past two outings. Osweiler completed only 21 of 44 passes in last Sundays defeat at Pittsburgh, although he did throw for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
[Brock Osweiler isnt yet ready to take the Broncos far in the playoffs]
We do understand what is at stake, Osweiler said in a midweek meeting with reporters. I think as you move along in a season and the closer you get to January, the stakes always go up. So were obviously very aware of how important Monday night is to this football team.
Weeden could get the starting nod for the Texans when they play Sunday at Tennessee, with Brian Hoyer subject to the NFLs concussion protocol. Weeden landed in Houston after being released by the Dallas Cowboys. He failed to win a game as a fill-in Cowboys starter this season for Tony Romo. But Weeden played well last Sunday against the Colts as the Texans moved into first place in the AFC South. He took over for the injured T.J. Yates and connected on 11 of 18 throws for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Texans secured their first-ever triumph in Indianapolis.
The Colts try to bounce back Sunday at Miami and, with Andrew Luck still unable to play, again plan to have 40-year-old backup Matt Hasselbeck in the starting lineup. But Hasselbeck has an assortment of injuries that suggests his body might have given about all that it can this season. Whitehurst played in relief against the Texans and again is next in line to take over if Hasselbeck is unable to start or unable to finish.
Game of the week: Bengals at Broncos (Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The Broncos not only are attempting to catch the Bengals in the race for playoff seeding. Theyre also trying to stay ahead of the Chiefs, who are now only one game back in the AFC West.
[The Chiefs were pretty much done in mid-October. They havent lost since.]
Games to watch:
Packers at Cardinals (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox):The Cardinals can cement their status as the primary challenger to the Panthers in the NFC.
Panthers at Falcons (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):Carolina goes for win No. 15 against a team that it beat by 38 points only two weeks earlier. The Panthers also can clinch the top seed in the NFC, which would give Coach Ron Rivera a rest-or-not decision to make next week.
[Would a 19-0 Panthers team be regarded as the NFLs best ever? Not necessarily.]
Patriots at Jets (Sunday at 1 p.m., CBS):The Patriots can secure the AFCs No. 1 seed and, as an added bonus, damage the Jets playoff chances.
Redskins at Eagles (Saturday at 8:25 p.m., NFL Network):Someone has to win the NFC East. The Redskins have their chance to seal the outcome.
Giants at Vikings (Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC) The Giants could have next to nothing at stake if theyre eliminated in the NFC East. Or they could have plenty at stake. Either way, theyll be minus suspended WR Odell Beckham Jr.
[Beckhams one-game suspension is upheld as arbitrator rejects appeal]
Games to avoid:
Chargers at Raiders (Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network):Shouldnt this game be played in L.A.?
49ers at Lions (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):Can Martha Firestone Ford fire Jed York and Trent Baalke for letting Jim Harbaugh leave the 49ers?
Cowboys at Bills (Sunday at 1 p.m., Fox):The Cowboys are giving Kellen Moore the start at QB because, well, just because.
Jaguars at Saints (Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS):One of these teams is two games out of first place. And the other one is the Saints.
Key injuries:
Drew Brees, QB, Saints (foot):Brees reportedly has a tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot. He missed a game earlier this season because of a shoulder injury.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings (ankle):He is expected to play against the Giants.
Peyton Manning, QB, Broncos (foot):He appears headed to the inactive list for Monday nights game.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans (knee):His rookie season could be over.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Colts (jaw, ribs):Hasselbeck is plenty tough but his list of injuries grows weekly. He has exited each of the past three games at some point with an injury.
Brian Hoyer, QB, Texans (concussion):He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday but remains subject to the concussion protocol.
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers (foot):The Panthers are certain to handle his injury carefully.
Top matchup: Panthers CB Josh Norman vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones
Scrutiny of Norman will be intense after his on-field confrontations last weekend that led to Odell Beckhams suspension. He again must deal with an elite receiver, although the Falcons were not competitive the last time these two teams played.
That distant rumble you may have started noticing in the past few days is the machinery of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo steadily springing to life. The worlds largest rodeo and the Bayou Citys biggest party is now 55 days away, running March 1-20 this year, with some important signposts along the way: Rodeo Roundup at Houstons City Hall (February 23); Worlds Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (February 25-27); Go Texan Day (Feburary 26); and Downtown Rodeo Parade (February 27). The grand marshal is TBD, but heres a vote for newly begrilled UH football coach Tom Herman and his Peach Bowl trophy. Or maybe Astros ace Dallas Keuchel and his Cy Young.
As for the lineup, it will be announced at 12:05 a.m. next Monday, January 11. Of the 15 dates marked for country music this year (75 percent of the total), possible first-time acts could include recent breakout stars Thomas Rhett and/or Sam Hunt, and/or critical favorites Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves. The two pop dates could go to Shawn Mendes or Joe Jonas (maybe). The traditional Black Heritage Friday has been tweaked from R&B to Hip-Hop/R&B J. Cole, perhaps? Rock is back on March 15, also known as the race to follow up Fall Out Boy. Panic! at the Disco? Cage the Elephant? Despite headlining the Woodlands Pavilion on July 5, Twenty One Pilots might be be a neat look. Whoever fills this years banda/nortena slots on March 13 will probably set a new single-day attendance record, again.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 16 at the rodeos Web site, rodeohouston.com. The rodeo will indeed use the same AXS ticketing system as last year, and is bringing back the controversial virtual waiting room, which opens at 9:30 a.m. that day. Registering in advance is highly recommended; its open now at axs.com/rodeohouston_registration.
A few more morsels to tide yall over until the chuck wagon comes:
*** Last years overall attendance was 2.483 million people meaning everyone who came through the NRG Park gates down a hair from 2014. However, the paid rodeo/concert attendance portion set a new record with 1.377 million.
*** Seven 2015 performances are now in the all-time Top 20 paid attendance, in descending order: Go Tejano Day with La Arrolladora Banda El Limon and La Maquinaria Nortena (No.1), Brad Paisley (No. 9), Ariana Grande (No. 11), Blake Shelton (No. 14), Florida Georgia Line (No. 15), Pitbull (No. 16) and Luke Bryan (No. 18).
*** Entertainment at this years Worlds Championship Barbecue includes Bri Bagwell, Bart Crow, the Texas Renegade Band, Cameran Nelson, Kevin Fowler, Rich OToole, Cory Morrow and Pat Green.
*** The rodeo plans to give out nearly $26 million in educational grants this year, of which its more than 750 college scholarships for Texas high-school seniors make up about half.
*** Fans will be pleased to know the rodeo plans to add more bathrooms this year. New this year is an underground sanitary system built to service those bathrooms as well as the rodeos vendors.
*** The McNee Gate off Kirby will only be open to pedestrian traffic and emergency vehicles this year.
*** Due to last years virulent avian flu epidemic that decimated the nations poultry population, there will be no male turkeys, or toms, at this years livestock show. The Top 100 female turkeys, known as hens, will be auctioned off instead.
*** The rodeos late-night honky-tonk tent, known as the Hideout, will be located in the Miller Lite Blue Parking Lot this year, south of the carnival on the west side of NRG Arena. The 2016 lineup is below.
March 1: Justin Van SantMarch 2: Trent WillmonMarch 3: Aaron EinhouseMarch 4: TBD (Black Heritage Day)March 5: Jason JamesMarch 6: DJ Red RitchMarch 7: Jamie RichardsMarch 8: Abbi WalkerMarch 9: Max StallingMarch 10: Zane WilliamsMarch 11: Cooper WadeMarch 12: Randy BrownMarch 13: Go Tejano DayMarch 14: JB and the Moonshine BandMarch 15: Mark Monaco & the StrayheartsMarch 16: Bri BagwellMarch 17: Cameran NelsonMarch 18: Mike and the MoonpiesMarch 19: Josh WardMarch 20: Sam Riggs
Alabama Crimson Tide Football Schedule 2015 in-order
After a122 season that ended in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, Alabama kicks off its 2015 campaign against Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas.
The Crimson Tide, who are No. 5 in SI.com"s preseason poll, arepicked by SEC media to win the SEC West, though the media picked Auburn to win the conference championship.
Alabama"s offense ranked second in the SEC in passing yards last season and fifth in rushing yards. Coach Nick Saban has not yet decided on a quarterback to open the season, with seniorJake Coker,redshirt freshman David Cornwell andtrue freshman Blake Barnett among the competitors.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 4 in the FBSin points allowed per game (16.6) and No. 2 in rushing yards allowed per game (88.7) in 2014.
Schedule
09/05: vs. Wisconsin* (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
09/12: vs. Middle Tennessee (4:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
09/19: vs. Ole Miss (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
09/26: vs. UL-Monroe (TBD)
10/03: at Georgia (TBD)
10/10: vs. Arkansas (TBD)
10/17: at Texas A&M (TBD)
10/24: vs. Tennessee (TBD)
11/07: vs. LSU (TBD)
11/14: at Mississippi State (TBD)
11/21: vs. Charleston Southern (TBD)
11/28: at Auburn (TBD)
*AdvoCare Classic to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes honor Spike Lee at the 2015 Governors Awards
The poorly kept secret of the Golden Globes is that they can be bought.
Voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the awards are famous for the lengths to which studios will go to woo the group"s membership which usually numbers around 90. The most famous incident involved young actress Pia Zadora, who won an award in 1982 amid accusations that her husband had paid for it with an elaborate promotional campaign.
In accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement during Sunday"s ceremony, Denzel Washington told a terrific story about something he"d been told by Freddie Fields, the producer of Glory, for which Washington won his first Golden Globe (and his first Oscar):
Some of you may know Freddie Fields. He invited me to the first Hollywood Foreign Press luncheon. He said they are gonna watch the movie. We are gonna feed them. They are gonna come over. You gonna take pictures with everybody. You are gonna hold the magazines, take the pictures, and you"re gonna win the award.
[Audience laughter.]
I won that year.
As Washington"s later Oscar win for Glory shows, the Globes are often important Oscar precursors, setting the conversation for who the "frontrunners" are, leading to either an Oscar coronation or some sort of backlash.
That has become less true in recent years, as the Oscars have moved up their airdate to avoid influence. The two used to air two months (or more) apart, but now air closer to six weeks apart. Oscar nominations also used to be heavily influenced by Globe winners but Oscar ballots have already been turned in and, thus, can"t be swayed by the Globes" winners. But this system isn"t foolproof.
That explains why studios work the HFPA so much. It"s a much easier organization to woo than the 6,291-member-strong Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on the Oscars. (AMPAS also has stricter rules about campaigning.)
As my colleague Caroline Framke points out in this piece on the HFPA"s role within awards season, the organization"s small membership gives it enormous, outsized importance.
Movies and especially television series that lie outside the safe or more obvious choices have a better shot at earning awards recognition if they appeal to the 90-member HFPA, as opposed to the larger governing bodies behind the Emmys and the Oscars. In any case, because so few make up its ranks, each member of the HFPA carries considerable power, at least as far as Golden Globe winners are concerned. Cumulative votes matter, of course, but one vote out of 90 carries much more weight than one vote out of 7,000 which is what makes the HFPA so powerful, and sometimes, so utterly random.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Mozart in the Jungle was named Best Television Comedy and its star Gael Garcia Bernal Best Actor in a Television Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday night.
Rachel Bloom scored the honor for Best Actress in a Television Comedy for her work in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, while Lady Gaga accepted the trophy for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for American Horror Story: Hotel.
Christian Slater took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Limited Series or Movie for Mr. Robot, the show that garnered the title of Best Television Drama.
Taraji P. Henson was elected Best Actress in a Television Drama for Empire and Jon Hamm was declared Best Actor in a Drama for Mad Men.
The Affair cast member Maura Tierney earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Limited Series or Movie, and Oscar Isaac won the Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for Show Me a Hero.
Wolf Hall was deemed the Best Limited Series or TV Movie.
