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Paisley happy to be butt of jokes for special

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 11:07am

By ALICIA RANCILIO, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Brad Paisley is perfectly comfortable being the butt of jokes. In his new variety special, “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special,” airing Dec. 3 on ABC, the country star allows himself to be the punchline in a number of skits with celeb pals including Peyton Manning, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers and Tim McGraw.
“It’s the way I got everybody to do it. I said, ‘You’re here to roast me,’” he says. “When we were talking on the phone I said, ‘Guys, no misconception here. You need to realize this exists for me to be laughed at and I’m good with that.’ So they were like, ‘We’re in.’”
In one highlight, Underwood takes Paisley mudding in a red truck yelling, “I feel the need for speed” with Paisley exclaiming, “Jesus take the wheel!” as he tries to hold on.
“There’s a side of Carrie I’ve never seen before doing this,” said Paisley.
The award-winning musician has enjoyed showing his comedic side since high school and as his star rose in showbiz, it caught on that he was always game to play. He’s co-hosted the CMA’s 11 times, had a comedy special on Netflix and stars in a series of Nationwide insurance commercials with Manning.
“You show up on some of these late-night shows like ‘Kimmel,’ they’ve figured out a long time ago that I’m up for anything and so they’ll frequently have me guest and do a funny song or a skit or a thing. Same with other friends I’ve made. Seth Meyers is a good friend and people like that that over the years I really enjoy the collaborative process of doing things outside of my comfort zone.”
Implementing ideas and turning them into a reality is a thrill for the 47-year-old.
“I love nothing more than creating and sort of coming up with an idea and seeing it through in this career. Whether that’s a song that you write, and it becomes a single and a hit and a video and a thing you do on tour and leads to everything else or it’s a television show. There’s nothing more satisfying than saying here’s the finish line and I think if we do all these things right, we can get there.”

2 K-pop stars get prison terms for sexual crimes

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 11:03am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Friday found two K-pop stars guilty of illicit sexual relations with a woman who was unable to resist and sentenced them to up to six years in prison.
The Seoul Central District Court said singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young received a six-year prison term and former boy band member Choi Jong-hoon a five-year term.
The court said in a statement that they were convicted of committing “special quasi-raping,” which it said means multiple people collaborating to have illicit sexual intercourse with a person who was unconscious or unable to resist.
Jung was additionally convicted of filming sex videos of women against their will and sharing them with friends in a group chat.
The two men were also ordered to undergo 80 hours of sex offender treatment programs.
They have one week to appeal, according to the court.
Their scandals roiled South Korea’s entertainment industry earlier this year when the investigation began.
South Korean pop songs, TV dramas and films are hugely popular in Asia and beyond, but the country’s entertainment world has in recent years suffered a series of sexual scandals that revealed its dark side.
Male stars have faced allegations of sexual assault and abuse and reports have been made that female entertainers and trainees have been forced to provide sexual services to men in power.
On Sunday, K-pop musician and actress Goo Hara was found dead at her home in Seoul. Before her death, she suffered cyberbullying after she was engaged in a public dispute with her former boyfriend, who she said threatened to disclose a sex video of her.
Last month, another K-pop star, Sulli, was discovered dead at her home. She had spoken against the online backlash she received over her lifestyle.

Woman is reluctant to tell fiancé about her new religion

Mon, 12/02/2019 - 11:01am

DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my 30s with a good head on my shoulders, but I have a dilemma. I recently became Wiccan, and I’m hiding my new religion from my fiancé. I was raised Protestant but have drifted away from Christianity. My fiancé was raised Catholic but no longer practices. He’s not actively involved in any religion, but I’m worried about how he will react to learning that I’m now a “witch,” which is just a broad term for anyone who follows the Wiccan spiritual path. I don’t want him to think I’ve lost my mind, but ...