Dual Concerts With Pharrell and Ariana Grande Call For Unity Amid Conflict: Pop Bits
A pair of concerts featuring big-time pop stars drew attention to recent current events this week. Plus, Pretty Little Liars got a spinoff show, Anthony Weiner heads to jail and more on tonight' Pop Bits:
Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, The Roots & More Shine at Dave Matthews'
Music and Unity Concert
Forty-thousand people gathered for the Concert in Charlottesville to promote peace and unity following the deadly white supremacist violence that exploded in the Virginia town just last month. Organized by Dave Matthews, the show featured Justin Timberlake, Pharrell, Ariana Grande, The Roots and Matthews himself.
Pearl Jam Frontman Eddie Vedder Takes a Knee Mid-Concert as Show of Solidarity Against Trump
Joining scores of NFL players who rejected Donald Trump's assertion this weekend that athletes who protest racism by kneeling during the national anthem should be fired, Eddie Vedder took a knee at Nashville's Pilgrimage Festival. "In the face of a great divider, we must be united," Vedder told the audience. "In the face of division on one side, we must turn it into multiplication on the other. That's the new math."
Pretty Little Liars Spinoff Starring Sasha Pieterse, Janel Parrish a Go at Freeform
Called The Perfectionists, the extension of the Freeform hit Pretty Little Liars follows the close of the seven-year run of the original show. From the network: "Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from their top-tier college to their overachieving residents. But nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be. The stress of needing to be perfect leads to the town’s first murder. Behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie and a needed alibi."
Anthony Weiner Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison
The disgraced former congressman's fall from grace finally landed him in jail for sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He was sentenced to 21 months by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote. “I was a very sick man for a long period of time, but I am also responsible for the damage I have done,” Weiner said. “I have no excuse.”
Will & Grace Stars Sing Theme, Promise 'Progressive and Offensive' Show
"Progressive and offensive" is how star Eric McCormack described the upcoming return of the hit sitcom. Added co-star Debra Messing, "The thing that I loved about the show from the very beginning was that [current issues were] built into the DNA. Within the comedy, we were shining a light on what’s happening in the culture right now and politics right now." Sounds about right.
Here's the cast singing the theme song:
10 Singers Who (Allegedly) Ripped Off Other Artists: